Liverpool flip script on Man City to take commanding Premier League lead
Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool have been used to second best during Pep Guardiola’s era at Manchester City, but a 2-0 victory over the crisis-hit champions left little doubt over who are the team to beat in this season’s Premier League title race.
Goals in either half from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah at Anfield on Sunday did not do justice to the scale of the Reds’ domination as City succumbed to a sixth defeat in a seven-game winless run.
Arsenal and Chelsea are now Liverpool’s closest challengers, nine points behind, with City 11 back and almost certain to finally loose their grip on the English top flight after an unprecedented four consecutive titles and six in the past seven seasons.
Guardiola reminded the Anfield crowd of that fact by raising six fingers when taunted with chants of “sacked in the morning”.
The Catalan’s defiance, though, could not mask the fact that City have rested on their laurels, while Liverpool have stepped up a level under Arne Slot.
Slot appeared to have the impossible job of succeeding the much-loved Jurgen Klopp.
The charismatic German brought Liverpool back to the top of English and European football. His title triumph in 2019/2020 was the club’s first for 30 years and the only blot on City’s dominance in recent times.
In contrast to Alex Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s exit at Arsenal, Liverpool have turned a legendary figure leaving into a positive.
Klopp did much of the groundwork himself, rejuvenating the squad over his final 18 months in charge with the signings of Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch.
Slot’s only summer signing, Federico Chiesa, has barely featured due to injury.
But the injection of fresh blood, mixed with the experience of title winners in the prolific Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Roberson and Trent Alexander-Arnold has proved a winning combination.
Slot has been keen to give Klopp’s legacy credit, but the Dutchman deserves his due for the small details that have produced a run of 18 wins from his first 20 games in all competitions.
