Man City came back from a goal down to produce one of the convincing football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s title challenge appeared to be hanging by a thread when Mohamed Salah handed the away side an early lead, but Julian Alvarez equalized before Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and Jack Grealish scored second-half goals to propel City to victory. The victory cut the deficit on Arsenal to five points at the end of the game, and it served as a timely reminder that Guardiola’s club is still a potent force even without their top scorer Erling Haaland, who was watching – and applauding – his teammates from the stands.
Manchester City opened brilliantly, with John Stones and Rodri in midfield, but Liverpool’s threat on the counter-attack was clear. Salah was relentless in exposing the City defense after Diogo Jota sprung the offside trap. Salah scored again soon after, but it proved to be the turning point in the game. Grealish intercepted his cross and was back down the other end moments later, assisting Alvarez’s equalizer, capping off a superb City move. That seemed like a major moment in the title chase for the Argentine, assuming responsibility for leading the line in Haaland’s absence.
These two sides have been vying for the title so frequently in recent seasons, but Liverpool’s troubles did not take the sting out of this one, with duels between Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manuel Akanji, and Jordan Henderson adding to the feeling of occasion. Sadly for Liverpool, their form does not correspond to their competitive attitude, and the game quickly slipped away from them in the second half. When Alvarez found Mahrez in space out wide with a superb pass, De Bruyne put City ahead in just 53 seconds.
Alvarez was also involved in the third, with Alexander-Arnold blocking his left-footed attempt near the line but only as far as Gundogan. The captain had plenty of time to find his place and calm the atmosphere around the Etihad Stadium. The city never gave up control. All that was left was for Grealish to score, sliding past Alisson after collecting De Bruyne’s inside pass. The gap to Arsenal has widened to eight points following their victory over Leeds, but so has the quality of the reigning champions. Their treble dreams are still alive. Liverpool finished eighth on the day.
Manchester City had won their previous two Premier League games in which Haaland did not start, however the last time that happened was in November when he came off the bench to score a late winner. He was clearly not needed this time. That was largely due to Alvarez’s outstanding effort. He scored one goal and assisted on the following two. His conclusion was common. In the build-up to De Bruyne’s goal, his distribution demonstrated another aspect of his game, superbly playing in Mahrez. The ball rattled about the area at one point in the first half, and one wondered if Haaland would have been there to convert.
Liverpool has already lost eight Premier League away games this season, the most in a single season since 2014-15 and more than they have lost in their previous three campaigns combined. For the first time since February 2021, Liverpool lost a Premier League match after scoring first. Before today, they had gone unbeaten in 44 such games, winning the last 22 in a row. Under Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool has conceded 30 Premier League goals to Man City, 11 more than any other opponent. They had four shots in this game, their fewest in a Premier League game since September 2011.
“It was a flawless performance from minute one to minute 93. We were playing very well until we gave up the goal. Of course, they are always a threat during transitions, but we performed admirably in all aspects. It was one of our most impressive efforts in the last seven years,” Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola said. “When we fell behind 1-0, the guys realized they weren’t playing poorly. After halftime, we tweaked our procedure slightly. Of course, we were fortunate to score the second goal, but the game was so steady for the entire 93 minutes.”
“Everyone could tell that the first half was fine, not just the outcome. City had more possession, but that occurs when we play here, and we scored a fantastic goal, which could have been followed by a second in a really terrific counter-attack,” Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp said. “Then, I’d say this was an unlucky situation: Kevin De Bruyne gets a touch, [the ball] rolls between Robbo’s legs, and it’s 1-1. We are too deep for you to come out of halftime with a ball in midfield and not even a challenge. They employ that if you are too deep or inactive, so the score is 2-1.”
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