Liverpool have moved one step closer to winning the Premier League title after breezing past reigning champions Manchester City by a 2-0 scoreline at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Without the presence of injured striker Erling Haaland, Man City made a bright start to proceedings and Jeremy Doku had Trent Alexander-Arnold on toast countless times down the left flank, but the early pressure counted for nothing as Mohamed Salah scored his 25th PL goal of the season to put Liverpool in front before the quarter-of-an-hour mark.
Pep Guardiola's men responded reasonably well and boasted 78% possession in the 15 minutes that followed Liverpool's opener. Omar Marmoush had a goal disallowed for offside during that period, but they ultimately struggled to pose a real threat to Alisson Becker's goal, and the Reds doubled their advantage through Dominik Szoboszlai towards the end of the first half.
Curtis Jones thought he had added a third for Liverpool just before the hour mark, but Szoboszlai was marginally offside in the build-up, shortly before a fierce strike from Marmoush at the other end was tipped wide by Alisson.
Man City's attempts to pull a goal back were nullified by Liverpool's resolute rearguard, marshalled by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, and Arne Slot's side went on to celebrate an important victory - their first at the Etihad since November 2015 - that has seen them move 11 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table.
It was a memorable day for Salah, who has now scored 16 Premier League away goals this season, a joint-record by any player in the division's history, along with Kevin Phillips in 1999-00 and Harry Kane in 2022-23.
The Egyptian has also become the first player in Premier League history to register 40 or more goal involvements in two Premier League seasons, and is the first to ever score and assist in both Premier League home and away games against the reigning champions in the same season. (Scroll down to see more impressive records that Salah has broken below!)
While Liverpool seemingly have one hand on the Premier League trophy, Man City now sit a staggering 20 points behind the Reds and remain fourth in the table, level on points with fifth-placed Newcastle United who beat third-placed Nottingham Forest 4-3 earlier this afternoon.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
Oliver Thomas live from the Etihad Stadium:
After the disappointment of exiting the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in midweek, Guardiola was desperately hoping that his team could return to the level of performance they offered in last weekend's comfortable 4-0 win over Newcastle United.
However, for all their dominance in possession, Man City lacked a cutting edge in the final third and were crying out for the presence of an Erling Haaland-esque centre-forward who would be willing to stay in central positions.
Both Marmoush and Phil Foden were tasked with playing centrally, but they dropped deep and drifted out wide far too often, and when it came to City crossing balls into the box, Liverpool's powerful defensive duo Van Dijk and Konate cleared the danger with ease - City completed just four of their 23 crosses, much to the frustration of Guardiola.
The Citizens, who were also shaky at times once again when in possession in front of their own box, were ultimately second best this afternoon and lacked the clinical touch that Liverpool possessed in the final third. Yet again, Salah was in the thick of the action and where would Liverpool be without their Egyptian King this season?
Although Slot opted against selecting an out-and-out striker in his starting lineup, Salah provided the goods in the final third once again, along with Szoboszlai, to help Liverpool move one step closer to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.
A lot has recently been said about Liverpool potentially leaving the door open for their nearest challengers Arsenal following two draws in three league matches against Everton and then Aston Villa in midweek. However, with the Gunners losing to West Ham on Saturday, it seems as if those four points dropped now look like they have taken Slot's side two points closer to Premier League glory, and victory over City has now put them firmly in the driving seat.
MAN CITY VS. LIVERPOOL HIGHLIGHTS
Mohamed Salah vs. Man City (14th min, Man City 0-1 Liverpool)
Who else to open the scoring?
Mohamed Salah scores his 25th Premier League goal of the season following a slick corner routine from Liverpool. Alexis Mac Allister's corner was rolled towards Dominik Szoboszlai, who then flicked a first-time pass towards the penalty spot where Salah fired a deflected shot beyond Ederson.
Dominik Szoboszlai vs. Man City (37th min, Man City 0-2 Liverpool)
Dominik Szoboszlai doubles Liverpool's leads towards the end of the first half!
Mohamed Salah darts down the right flank to meet a long ball forward before cutting inside and rolling a pass to Szoboszlai, who strokes a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner, beating Ederson all ends up to score his fourth PL goal of the season.
MAN OF THE MATCH – MOHAMED SALAH
Szoboszlai deserves a special mention, as does defensive duo Van Dijk and Konate, but the star of the show once again was Salah, who was in the right place at the right time, yet again, to deliver match-deciding moments in the final third.
Liverpool's No.11 was involved in both goals, scoring the first and assisting the second, and having his presence on the pitch alone seemed to lift his teammates around him. Salah, who could have scored more on the day, deserves all the plaudits that come his way for what has been an outstanding individual season for the attacker.
MAN CITY VS. LIVERPOOL MATCH STATS
Possession: Man City 66%-34% Liverpool
Shots: Man City 16-8 Liverpool
Shots on target: Man City 5-4 Liverpool
Corners: Man City 7-5 Liverpool
Fouls: Man City 3-10 Liverpool
BEST STATS
WHAT NEXT?
Manchester City will now shift their attention to next Wednesday's Premier League encounter in North London against Tottenham Hotspur, who put them to the sword 4-0 in the reverse fixture in November last year.
As for Liverpool, they return to Anfield on Wednesday when they play host to top-four hopefuls Newcastle United, who they will also face in the EFL Cup final at Wembley in three weeks' time.
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