Two defensive howlers cost Liverpool three points as it drew 2-2 with Premier League champion Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The Merseysiders twice went ahead through Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez on manager Brendan Rodgers' home debut, but failed to hold the lead with costly errors at the back gifting Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez goals. It means Rodgers' will have to wait for a first Premier League victory for another week after his side lost 0-3 to West Bromwich Albion last weekend.

Earlier, Arsenal and Stoke City played out a 0-0 draw at the Britannia Stadium. The result means Arsenal is still searching for its first goal of the season after it was held to a scoreless draw by Sunderland last weekend.

After a sluggish start, Liverpool began to dominate proceedings and should have taken the lead when Fabio Borini sent a cross from the impressive 17-year-old Raheem Sterling just wide.

Carlos Tevez went close at the other end, his shot from an acute angle hitting the post and spinning back into play.

Manchester City's Vincent Kompany nearly steered the ball into his own net when an attempted clearance from a low Steven Gerrard drive went narrowly over the crossbar. The hosts got their goal from the resulting corner, with Gerrard's cross being met by Skrtel on the edge of the box on 34 minutes.

City grabbed the equalizer when Toure took advantage of Pepe Reina and Martin Kelly's failure to clear a Tevez cross to score in the 63rd minutes. Liverpool took the lead again barely a minute later when below-par striker Suarez hit a stunning freekick from 20 meters out.

City, which came from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 last week, again pulled level with Tevez's 100th goal in English football when Skrtel went from hero to villain, his poor backpass being intercepted by the Argentine who calmly rounded Reina to score into an empty net.

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