Who could deny it now? Manchester City’s stranglehold on the Premier League title is well and truly up – and Arne Slot’s Liverpool have usurped them as the new kings. Now 11 points clear at the top after beating the reigning champions 2-0 for the second time this season, the Reds showed that they’re just far too slick, smart and in fantastic shape to be caught by rivals struggling with injuries and inconsistency.
Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, who traded assists and goals in the first half, were the outright stars at the Etihad Stadium, but there were many strong performances from the visitors, with only Trent Alexander-Arnold looking glaringly woeful against Jeremy Doku on Liverpool’s right side.
Slot’s men enjoyed a bright start thanks to their smart use of the ball and earned a corner in the 12th minute thanks to a threatening move by Luis Diaz. Alexis Mac Allister delivered the ball straight to the front post where Szoboszlai knocked it back to Salah, who blasted it in with the help of a big deflection to round off a fine set-piece move.
City went in search of the equaliser and thought they had found it just after the half-hour mark when their new sensation Omar Marmoush beat Alisson after a fine run, but the flag was up.
Five minutes later, Liverpool doubled their lead when Alexander-Arnold’s ball over the top brought down by Salah, whose tricky work on the wing freed him up to find Szoboszlai, and the Hungarian took it across his body before sending it through the legs of Abdukodir Khusanov and into the bottom corner.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, Arne Slot’s team thought they had the game wrapped up when Curtis Jones tapped in after Szoboszlai’s pass, but the latter was offside earlier in the move. And while City didn’t quite give up, it was clear there was no way back into the game over the remainder of the half as the Reds sealed a vital victory.
GOAL rates Liverpool’s players from the Etihad Stadium…