Liverpool have recorded a great victory to boost their already strong position in the race for the Premier League title by beating reigning champions Manchester City at the Etihad.
Mohamed Salah’s deflected effort broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, and in the 37th, the incredible winger repaid Dominik Szoboszlai’s assist as the Hungary captain doubled the Reds’ lead, setting the final score, as it turned out.
Teams
In City’s defence, it should be said that manager Pep Guardiola had a number of key players unavailable for selection through injury. Rodri has been absent for quite a while, the centre-back department was heavily impacted by the absences of Manuel Akanji and John Stones, Oscar Bobb is yet to play this season following a broken foot, and a knee problem prevented star striker Erling Haaland from leading the attacking line.
With Ederson Moraes in goal, Abdukodir Khusanov joined Nathan Ake in the heart of defence, flanked by Rico Lewis on the right and Josko Gvardiol on the left. Nico Gonzalez anchored the midfield, with Kevin De Bruyne tasked with creating from deep. The trio of Savinho, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku supported Omar Marmoush in attack.
As for Liverpool, head coach Arne Slot was unable to call upon Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley in defence.
Alisson Becker stood between the posts. The usual centre-back duo of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate had Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right and Andy Robertson on the left. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister paired up in the middle of the park, Curtis Jones played in a more advanced role, Salah attacked from the right and Luis Diaz from the left. Szoboszlai was deployed in a ‘false nine’ role, with Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez all starting on the bench.
The game
The match began cautiously, with both teams trying to establish control. Early attacking moves showed promise but fizzled out before posing any real danger at either end.
Alisson dealt comfortably with a couple of routine City corners before a set-piece made the difference for Liverpool. Alexis Mac Allister’s low delivery to the near post initially seemed mistimed, but it quickly became clear it was an intentional pass to Szoboszlai. His clever flick behind him found Salah, whose strike in the center of the box took a crucial deflection past Ederson.
The goal did little to spark the game into life. Alisson easily gathered long-range efforts from Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden, before Marmoush found the net with a composed low finish across the Liverpool keeper – only for the offside flag to rule it out.
Liverpool executed their game plan effectively and doubled their lead before halftime. Another well-worked but simple move saw Salah chase down a long ball on the right, drive into a dangerous position, and square it for the unmarked Szoboszlai to fire home.
Happy to let City dominate possession, the Reds relied on counter-attacking opportunities. The hosts launched several attacks early in the second half without creating much, before Liverpool thought they had a third goal. Curtis Jones applied the finish, but VAR ruled it out after spotting Szoboszlai offside in the buildup.
City capitalized on that let-off by forcing Alisson into action to deny Marmoush, while Ederson produced a stunning save to keep out a Luis Diaz curler. Virgil van Dijk had to react quickly to cut out a low cross intended for Marmoush, with Rico Lewis firing the rebound into the side netting.
As City kept pushing to get back into the game, Slot introduced trusted midfielder Wataru Endo for the final 17 minutes plus stoppage time to shore up the midfield. The left-back position was also reinforced, with Andrew Robertson beginning to struggle against Savinho.
For all the domination City had in terms of possession (66%), the reigning champions created preciously little throughout the contest and Liverpool’s victory, though achieved mostly through disciplined and well-organized defending, was fully deserved.
Is the race over?
This is, of course, the main talking point in the Premier League circles after this week. Arsenal, who suffer from severe injury problems in attack at the moment, have lost their footing in what was already a huge challenge by losing at home to West Ham on Saturday.
Liverpool have now moved 11 points clear of the Gunners in the title race, though they have played a game more than their closest rivals. The advantage is huge, but Arsenal’s problems probably speak even more in favour of Liverpool emerging as the winners. Nothing is impossible in football, and the Merseysiders have been known to squander a large lead before, but this season, with Slot’s hand guiding them, it really seems unlikely to happen.
As for City, they’re now 20 points behind Liverpool and obviously out of the title race completely. Furthermore, they’ll now be hoping that their usually fierce rivals do them a favour when they host Newcastle at Anfield next week, with the Magpies sitting fifth with the same tally as the Citizens in fourth place. Holding on to a spot warranting Champions League football next season is the best Guardiola’s men can hope for at this stage, and even that will be a difficult task – Bournemouth and Chelsea are just a point behind, Aston Villa two, and Brighton four.
And while Liverpool prepare for the showdown against Newcastle – a preview of their clash in the Carabao Cup final on March 16th, City will travel to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
