Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points after a dominant 2-0 win over Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, further deepening City’s crisis.
Cody Gakpo’s early goal in the 12th minute was a fair reflection of Liverpool’s first-half dominance, and they sealed their 18th win in 20 games under Arne Slot with Mohamed Salah’s clinical penalty.
City, now 11 points adrift in fifth place, have failed to win in their last seven matches, including six losses. The defending champions, who have won four consecutive titles, now face the prospect of losing their crown to Arsenal or Chelsea.
City’s only point since October 26 felt more like a loss, as they squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League midweek.
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Pep Guardiola made changes, dropping goalkeeper Ederson and reintroducing Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias to the defense, but there was no improvement.
Liverpool stormed out of the blocks, and Stefan Ortega had to make fine saves to deny Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, while Virgil van Dijk’s header struck the post.
City were barely able to escape their own half in the opening stages, and Gakpo finally broke the deadlock when he bundled in Salah’s inviting cross to the back post.
Van Dijk came close with another header, narrowly missing the target as Liverpool continued to press.
Even in Guardiola’s most successful seasons, his team has struggled to cope with the relentless energy of Anfield. City’s only away win at Liverpool since 2003 came behind closed doors during the pandemic-affected 2021/22 season.
As the first half neared its end, City began to retain more possession, with Rico Lewis’ effort narrowly missing the target—City’s first attempt on goal.
The second half saw City begin with more intent, but they were still vulnerable on the counter-attack.
Gakpo was denied by Ortega after a superb pass from Andy Robertson, and Salah wasted a golden opportunity, firing over the bar in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
City’s defensive frailties finally led to the decisive second goal when Luis Diaz won the ball off Walker and surged through, only to be fouled by Ortega.
Salah made no mistake this time, converting the penalty for his 13th goal of the season.
Guardiola brought on Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Jack Grealish, and Kevin De Bruyne in a desperate attempt to find a way back, but their reliance on Erling Haaland for goals was clear.
Haaland was effectively neutralized by Van Dijk, who had been imperious throughout the match. In a rare lapse of concentration, Van Dijk gifted De Bruyne the ball, but Caoimhin Kelleher, in superb form, denied City a consolation.
As the match wound down, Guardiola was taunted with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning.” He responded by holding up six fingers, symbolizing his six Premier League titles over the past seven years.
However, like his team, Guardiola is living on past glories as Liverpool’s form makes them look untouchable this season.
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