EPL: Liverpool beat Man City to go NINE points clear at top

With a 2-0 win against Pep Guardiola’s ineffective Manchester City team at Anfield, Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead of City by eleven points.

After Stefan Ortega fouled Luis Diaz, Salah converted the penalty to seal the win for Liverpool. Salah had earlier missed a golden opportunity to extend Liverpool’s advantage.

The early goal for Liverpool came from the Egyptian sensation, who set up Cody Gakpo with a beautiful low cross.

Kevin De Bruyne missed City’s finest chance to score, and the visitors dropped their fourth consecutive league encounter as Liverpool’s dominance was hardly challenged. City also hit the crossbar twice in the first half.

With nine points separating Arne Slot’s team and City in first and sixth, respectively, City’s championship aspirations are quickly dwindling.

How the match unfolded

Ortega saved an early long-range effort from Dominik Szoboszlai as Liverpool began their spectacular performance. City’s goalkeeper came in for Ederson, then tipped Virgil van Dijk’s powerful header, which he nudged onto the post.

Still, Gakpo broke the deadlock only one minute later, racing to the far post to head Salah’s exquisite cross beyond the goalkeeper.

Not long after that, Van Dijk had another free header that went just wide, and Trent Alexander-Arnold had another shot from outside the box that grazed the post.

In 56 minutes, Salah was set to double their advantage when he ran in behind the defence to capitalize on a sloppy pass from Bernardo Silva. However, in a one-on-one situation with Ortega, he missed the target by lifting the ball over the crossbar.

Still, in the 78th minute, Liverpool scored the second goal that their play deserved. Ortega brought down Diaz, and a penalty was confirmed after a video assistant referee review; Salah scored from the penalty spot.

After stealing the ball from Van Dijk, the Reds’ incredible day ended when De Bruyne had a late chance to add drama, but Caoimhin Kelleher saved the Belgian’s attempt.

Things keep getting better for Slot.

Liverpool made a statement, even though City, the four-time defending champions, cannot be underestimated just yet, and there is still a lot of football in the season. A victory for Liverpool may have already eliminated City from championship contention.

Ortega made several spectacular saves as the away team battled to keep up with Liverpool’s blistering start.

While Van Dijk did his job up front, seemingly finishing off every ball City sent into the box, he may have been a little let down that he couldn’t contribute to Gakpo’s 12th-minute effort, given how often he created havoc from corners. Liverpool were saved by their goalkeeper, even after the Dutchman made a mistake in the 94th minute.

Salah, who previously missed a penalty opportunity to put Liverpool out of reach, calmly converted the penalty to seal the deal. This came after he had failed to convert a penalty against Real Madrid in midweek’s UEFA Champions League matches.

Liverpool have defeated Real Madrid and Manchester City in consecutive days at Anfield, adding momentum to the Slot revolution. Still, a nine-point advantage at the beginning of December is a manageable lead.

The City’s decline continues

Despite his outstanding success with the club, Guardiola stressed after signing a new contract that he needed to prove himself, and City are now in unprecedented times.

After wasting a three-goal lead against Feyenoord midweek, City were heavy underdogs heading into Sunday’s derby. They delivered a performance worthy of their reputation in the end.

To try to salvage a victory, Guardiola made a few changes, including inserting Ortega for Ederson and bringing Ruben Dias back from injury.

However, City’s ineffective defence let them down early on, and they owed a debt of gratitude to their goalkeeper for keeping them in the game. On the other hand, Liverpool showed no signs of weakness, and City battled to keep up.

Much to the delight of the home supporters, City levelled the playing field in the second half but posed little danger to Liverpool’s relentless defence, except for that last-ditch opportunity for De Bruyne.

He reminded both sets of fans of City’s recent supremacy by raising six fingers at full-time—one for each Premier League championship Guardiola has won. Still, a little miracle will be required for this to be City’s season.

Managers’ statements

Arne Slot: “If you want to win against City, you have to be perfect in every part of the game. High press, low press, build-up. They bring so many problems to you. We came close to perfection, we weren't perfect but we came close to perfection. That's the only way to beat a quality team like City. I don't think anyone, including me, would have predicted this [start]. I knew Jurgen [Klopp] left the team in a very good place. But still, to win so much with all the difficult teams we have played already is not something you could predict at the start of the season. But, like I say, I saw Arsenal yesterday and Chelsea today and I saw City, they will come back because these teams have so much quality. They could go on the same run as us. So we have to stay sharp and focused.”

Pep Guardiola: “The first 15-20 minutes they were unstoppable, they started so strong, we tried to play with a lot of control and passes, but it was difficult to take it. They deserved the first goal, but we started the first half so well and played well in the second half without too much threat. I know how strong Liverpool are in both boxes. I congratulate them, and we'll reset and start from zero, and it is difficult to believe it. I rely a lot on these players, I know they are doing in this position. We'll see what happens by the end of the season.”

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