Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Man City wasn’t the type of thrilling encounter that we have become accustomed to between the teams, but it was just as pleasurable for Reds who watched their side’s first victory at the Etihad since 2018.
Coming into the match, Liverpool were on a run of just one win in four games and there was a feeling that Arne Slot‘s side needed to make a statement.
With Arsenal losing the day before, the Reds took full advantage in making their statement, limiting Man City to just one real chance and ultimately taking an 11-point lead in the Premier League.
Here, Jay Pearson (@JimmyCully) from Tops Of The Kop and Sam Millne (@sam_millne) discuss Liverpool’s adaptability, brilliance and a pivotal Premier League weekend.
The good…
JAY: Wow, just wow! Even the next day I’m still speechless.
The fact that Liverpool had 34 percent possession and still managed to dictate the game at the Etihad is outrageous, and I’m smiling as I type that!
That is what Slot has done so many times this season; set up his team to play our way. This was what was lost slightly against Everton and Aston Villa – but not here, not this day.
In all the years when we’ve played Man City at the Etihad, I have never been relaxed for 90 minutes because we know how good they are. However, I think the majority of us enjoyed watching that game from start to finish and that says everything about the performance.
Mo Salah is beyond words now. We need the Oxford Dictionary to come up with some new adjectives to describe this man.
His determination to break records and win titles for his team is infectious and you can see it. He is having a stellar season and I can’t wait to see what numbers he finishes on come the end of the season.
SAM: What really impressed me was the maturity of the Reds’ display.
Yes, at times Liverpool could have held on to the ball better – control with possession being Slot’s usual method of domination. However, their focus in the second half was on preventing Man City from reaching threatening spaces.
The team did brilliantly at keeping City’s dangerous players in areas of the pitch where they could be less effective.
Of course, Liverpool could only afford to play this way after the break because Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai had given them a healthy advantage.
Plenty will give Salah his praise, so I’ll use this time to highlight the latter scorer.
Liverpool’s Hungarian works incredibly hard in every outing, but it is in games away at ‘big’ teams that he is most noticeable.
His energy, when others are perhaps tiring, has been crucial to Liverpool maintaining their unbeaten league record since Christmas.
Anywhere to improve?
JAY: How do you improve on a performance like that?!
I suppose a little more control in midfield might have helped improving ball retention, but at the same time you look at our game plan and we executed it perfectly.
SAM: It is difficult to criticise any part of a 2-0 win at the reigning champions, and why would we want to?
If there was somewhere Liverpool struggled in the first half, it was to deal with Jeremy Doku – the Belgian winger consistently beat Trent Alexander-Arnold down Liverpool’s right.
At half time, though, the Reds rectified this problem with someone clearly telling Alexander-Arnold to stop lunging into tackles and to just jockey Doku while support arrives.
It was good to see these kind of in-game improvements.
The writing’s on the wall for the title, right?
SAM: If there were any lingering doubts about Liverpool’s ability to win this season’s title, they were well and truly eradicated this weekend.
The league’s second and third-place teams both lost, leaving the Reds to capitalise and take an 11-point lead into their 28th matchday, albeit having played a game more than Arsenal.
Seven of Liverpool’s 11 remaining league matches are at home. Win seven and that puts them on 85 points.
For the Gunners to reach that figure, they would need to win all but two of their remaining 12 games. Given their performance against West Ham on Saturday, it is fairly safe to assume that won’t happen.
While superstition dictates that there will still be an anxiety around the title race, the writing really is on the wall for those who thought they could challenge the Reds come spring.
JAY: It was an incredible victory in arguably the most pivotal weekend in the title race. There’s a belief now and after the game.
The echoes of ‘Hand it over Manchester’ were circulating around the Etihad – a place we’ve only won five times before this game – and it sends a clear message that we are not going anywhere.
There’s a league title to be won by men of Shankly’s best, who play the Liverpool way and (hopefully) win the championship in May.
