Goals win games - it’s a fact.
Sometimes, fantastic saves ensures a victory and the goalkeeper’s quite rightly get the plaudits they deserve.
It’s not often that a tackle grabs the headlines, though.
If you search on YouTube for ‘Bobby Moore’ and ‘tackle’ - you will see one of the most famous pieces of defending ever, as the England legends prevents a Brazil’s Jairzinho as he attempted to pass him at speed in the box.
Last weekend, however, our Spanish midfielder Rodri made a tackle that was simply outstanding - the ‘tackle of the century’ maybe?
With only moments remaining, a ball into the City box cleared Ederson and his defenders and fell to the unmarked Fabinho on the left of the six-yard box.
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He controlled the ball and had an open goal to aim at with the City defence unable to recover - it was a tap in and the travelling fans behind the goal just waited for Anfield to erupt with what would surely be the winning goal.
Fabinho couldn’t miss and as he went to complete what seemed a formality, Rodri launched himself towards the ball and somehow managed to time his move perfectly and clear the danger.
He ensured City took a deserved point back up the M62 and the look on the Liverpool players’ faces said it all.
It looked impossible, but somehow, Rodri managed it and commentator Ally Mann claimed it to be “the tackle of the century”.
There have been other magnificent goal-line clearances over the years, so here’s a collection of the best from the last 20 years or so - starting, of course, with Rodri’s.
Enjoy the moment all over again - plus several more - on the video above...
