Mind the gap. It looks unbridgeable now: 11 points to Arsenal, a barely credible 20 to Manchester City. A title race that began with City as red-hot favourites could be almost over before February is. The dominant team this season, Liverpool were vastly superior at the Etihad Stadium.
With Arne Slot borrowing from Pep Guardiola’s tactical blueprint to outwit the master with his twin false nines, with the magnificent Mohamed Salah underlining his credentials to win the individual awards, with Dominik Szoboszlai delivering perhaps the finest display of his Liverpool career, with Virgil van Dijk marshalling a defence who had conceded too often in the last two-and-a-half months to deliver a display of defiance, this felt the victory that ended any doubt. A 20th league title is bound for Anfield.
A team who wobbled at Everton and Aston Villa made a statement at the Etihad. There have been a few from Slot’s side this season, the first on the other side of Manchester, the majority at Anfield. A double over City signalled the shift in the balance of power: from blue to red, Manchester to Merseyside.
For Liverpool, it was a first league win at the Etihad since 2015, for Guardiola a first top-flight defeat at home to them. For City, it has been a chastening few days, run ragged first by Kylian Mbappe and now Salah. There was a time when City were Europe’s and England’s best. Now they have suffered comprehensive defeats to the Champions League holders and the Premier League leaders in a few days. It has been a symbolic spell, showing the undignified decline from mighty to mediocre, the need for change and the difficulty in moving on. Guardiola left out Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, men he called “legends of the club”, looking for fresh legs. Instead, he got fresh problems.
And the familiar feeling of defeat. As Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to 23 league games, City suffered a 14th loss in 27 matches in all competitions. They have conceded 51 goals in that time. By coincidence, Salah’s personal haul now stands at 51 for the season: reaching 30 goals, he has 21 assists, too. For an 11th time in the top flight this season, he both scored and made a goal. On this occasion, so did Szoboszlai, granted more freedom to run as Guardiola emptied the centre of the pitch, his tactics backfiring. He tried trading control for chaos; leaving Nico Gonzalez alone in an undermanned midfield was a risk that did not pay off; no wonder the new signing was nowhere near Szoboszlai when he scored.
And the manager who revived the false-nine tactic saw Liverpool deploy a striker-less shape, unexpectedly but effectively. Guardiola was beaten by Guardiolaisation. For the first time, Slot fielded a side without a centre-forward, but with Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones advancing from midfield.
Liverpool troubled City with runners from deep, balls behind their defence and the irresistible Salah. They scored first from a set-piece, a well-worked corner. Alexis Mac Allister skimmed a pass across the turf to Szoboszlai, who laid it back for Salah. His shot was deflected in off Nathan Ake for a 21st goal in his last 20 league games.
In a tale of two Egyptians, both found the net but, fine as Omar Marmoush’s angled finish was, City’s recent signing was offside. Marmoush started as a striker for the first time, with Erling Haaland still absent. He was at least lively, denied by Alisson from another rasping shot. Jeremy Doku was bright while Abdukodir Khusanov made a trio of terrific blocks. Yet the positives for City ended there. Kevin De Bruyne had a traumatic time, almost hitting the corner flag with a particularly wayward shot.
Nor did Josko Gvardiol have much to relish as Liverpool exposed City’s defensive frailties on their left. It brought the second goal. Gvardiol, sent sliding in the wrong direction by Mbappe four days earlier, was turned inside out by Salah. He passed, Szoboszlai shot, Ederson going to his right as the ball went past him on his left. It was another indication of a team who have lost their way.
Liverpool were clinical. Ederson made a spectacular save from Luis Diaz but was beaten by the first two shots on target he faced. City had plenty of possession but, minus Haaland, no incision. The week that began with Liverpool showing nerves against lowly Wolves finished with them displaying none as they saw off City. There may be no stopping them now.
