Liverpool send a signal of intent with win over the champions
The big game at the top of the Premier League on Sunday went with the form guide, as in-form league leaders Liverpool recorded a 2-0 home victory over out-of-sorts champions Manchester City at Anfield.
Liverpool were just too strong for the champions
Anfield has proven a difficult hunting grounding for the reigning champions even when they were at the top of their game in recent seasons, as their record of one win in their previous 26 visitors illustrated before the game.
Arne Slot’s team were just too strong for the men from Manchester. They came racing out the blocks, and in reality, the Reds could have been a few goals up in the first 20 minutes or so.
In the end, they found the net once in the first half on 12 minutes, as Dutch international forward Cody Gakpo tapped home at the far post from a superb Mohamed Salah cross.
Liverpool missed numerous other chances to double their lead. Under normal circumstances, they may have worried that those missed chances would come back to haunt them.
However, City, unusually for Pep Guardiola’s team, were never that much of an attacking threat. Veteran Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk marshalled the Premier League’s top goalscorer Erling Haaland superbly.
By the time Mohamed Salah scored the Reds’ second goal from a 78th-minute penalty kick to seal the game, City had shown little by way of attacking threat.
The Citizens’ best chance saw substitute Kevin De Bruyne’s low effort in the box smothered by Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher after a rare mistake from Van Dijk.
In truth, it felt like Liverpool was in control for much of the game, and after the second goal, had the luxury of being able to take off star forward Salah towards the end of the contest.
The victory moved Liverpool nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
City have collapsed this season
The collapse of Manchester City this season has been incredible. After the weekend’s fixtures, Guardiola’s team dropped to fifth place in the table, 11 points behind Liverpool and even out of the Champions League spots.
Despite recently signing a new deal with the Citizens, Pep Guardiola is facing a crisis unlike any he has experienced in his managerial career.
Even for a head coach with his managerial acumen and experience, it seems winning the Premier League title this season would be an unbelievable achievement, considering their current position.
City are a shadow of the team that they have been in the past. They appear to be tired, and without their midfield general, Rodri, they are highly vulnerable at the back.
Even going forward, they have looked worryingly toothless at times, without their usual mesmerising passing and attacking movement.
The club’s latest signings have not lived up to their predecessors. The likes of young wingers Jeremy Doku and Savinho have potential. However, neither of them is ready to play in a team like City, where the pressure is always on winning games.
The pair could fulfil their potential in the coming years, but at the moment, they lack the required quality and know-how for the Citizens, even if there is still plenty more to come from them.
It would be harsh to lay the blame for City’s demise at the pair’s door, as Guardiola seems to be attempting to transition to a younger team. However, they have failed to have the required impact.
Older players like attacking players such as Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have also struggled to find their form this season. Maybe they should shoulder the burden of the blame for City’s recent attacking failures anyway.
City may not be Liverpool’s closest title rivals this season
The sad reality for City is that they may not be Liverpool’s closest title challengers this season.
Perennial title challengers Arsenal are currently second-place in the table but are nine points adrift of Arne Slot’s team, as are Chelsea, who have enjoyed a strong season in Enzo Maresca’s debut season in the dugout.
Arsenal have shown in recent campaigns that they don’t seem to have the ability to cope with the pressure of challenging for the English top-flight title.
If Mikel Arteta’s team hopes to catch the current league leaders, they must produce incredible consistency for the rest of the season.
Recent history in the Premier League suggests that the Gunners don’t have that sort of mental strength.
Chelsea is experiencing a solid season, but their priority will be nailing down a Champions League spot this season. Anything else is a bonus for the Blues.
They are exciting to watch and will score goals. In fact, only Tottenham scored more goals than Maresca’s team in the Premier League this season.
However, it would be a lot to ask the team from south west London to challenge for the title in the current campaign after the last few years of being nowhere near winning the title.
Only Liverpool can stop Liverpool now
Liverpool will be delighted with their league campaign so far, and very few people expected such a stellar campaign. It might now be that only their own mistakes can prevent the Reds from winning their second title in the Premier League era.
They have some tough games coming up in the Premier League, especially a trip to Merseyside rivals Everton. The Toffees haven’t been in the best of form, but last season, they recorded a 2-0 win over the Reds to all but end their rival’s title challenge.
However, Liverpool’s current run of form is reminiscent of that of their form when they won their only Premier League title in season 2019/20, so not even their city rivals may be able to halt their strong run of form.
The men from Merseyside have a similar sort of momentum heading towards the new year. This season, they don’t seem to have the same quality of challengers, which gives them some leeway in the title race.
@premierleague When the title slipped away from Steven Gerrard and LiverpoolFC 😩 PremierLeague
They can’t afford any complacency, as the Reds have slipped up in title races in the past when they have had big leads at the top of the table.
No team can win the Premier League in December. However, Liverpool is in a commanding position at the top of the table, and the title now seems theirs to lose.