Liverpool extended their advantage at the top of the Premier League to nine points with a deserved 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds took an early lead through Cody Gakpo and looked set to blow the reigning champions away only for poor finishing to thwart them.
But any worries about a City comeback were ended when Mohamed Salah smashed home a penalty late in the second half to ensure the hosts moved 11 points clear of the champions.
How the game unfolded
If City’s aim was to avoid giving Liverpool and the Anfield crowd any encouragement early doors, then they failed badly in that. Twice in the opening stages the visitors were guilty of surrendering the ball in deep positions, with Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai both forcing saves as a result.
Virgil van Dijk then struck the post with a powerful header, before the seemingly inevitable breakthrough came in the 12th minute.
It was Gakpo who provided it, but the Dutchman only had to run into the ball at the back post such was the quality of Mohamed Salah’s inswinging cross from the right.
That goal further ignited the atmosphere, and Liverpool almost responded as Van Dijk headed wide before Gakpo scuffed one over after a lightning break.
But the Reds could not find a second, and City offered a brief reminder of their potential threat with five minutes of the half remaining, Rico Lewis scuffing their first shot of the opening period wide.
In one sense, City built on that in the second period, beginning to dominate possession and finally gain a foothold in the game. However, Liverpool continued to create the better chances, with Gakpo forcing a save from Stefan Ortega on the break, Van Dijk heading another corner over, and Salah missing uncharacteristically after nicking the ball from Manuel Akanji.
With each miss from the hosts, it began to feel more and more like there could be a twist in the tale that would see City pinch a barely deserved share of the spoils.
But any hopes the visitors had of doing so were extinguished when yet another turnover in defence allowed Luis Diaz to race through and force Ortega to bring him down in desperation.
After a midweek penalty miss against Real Madrid, Salah did the rest in smashing the ball into the bottom corner. And that meant that City were consigned to falling 11 points behind the leaders, who themselves are now nine clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Check out the player ratings for Liverpool vs Manchester City here.
In any other season, you wouldn’t bet against Pep Guardiola’s men somehow overturning an 11-point deficit with so many games to be played between now and May. But the fact is, City showed here that they are too flawed to have any chance of keeping pace with this Liverpool team.
If Arne Slot’s side are to be challenged, it will surely be by an Arsenal side who have got some tricky fixtures and poor luck out of the way early doors.
City, meanwhile, may have to refocus on making sure they don’t fall out of the top four.
Key to all Guardiola’s problems this term is a midfield that has gone from being one of the most feared in Europe to the weakest part of his team. Here, Liverpool simply ran over City’s engine room, making them look weak, slow, and old.
The home support will no doubt recognise those issues from the sudden decline of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson that led to a complete rebuild in that area in the summer of 2023. The visitors need a similar structural overhaul if they are to be restored to their past glories.
One of Slot’s biggest early successes is that he has quite clearly improved every Liverpool in his first months in charge. But has there been any bigger beneficiary than Cody Gakpo, who followed up a goal against Real Madrid in midweek by also netting here.
The Dutchman seems to have been freed by being used in his more familiar left-wing position on a consistent basis, and is now so full of confidence that he spent much of this match toying with Kyle Walker.
If he can keep up this form, then Slot has a serious but welcome headache in terms of selection the left-hand side of attack.
If there was one worry for Liverpool fans coming into this game, it was that their defensive strength might have been sapped by the loss of Ibrahima Konate to injury in midweek. But Joe Gomez ensured the Frenchman wasn’t missed at all as he produced a masterclass alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
His reading of the game ensured he did not need to get dragged into too many battles with Erling Haaland, and his use of possession was a real fillip for the Reds. If he can keep up this form, then Liverpool look set to cope just fine in Konate’s absence.