Liverpool entered what has been a mausoleum of misery over the years to take on an old foe very much out of sorts, emerging with a comfortable 2-0 win at Man City.
Man City 0-2 Liverpool
Premier League (27) | Etihad StadiumFebruary 23, 2025
Goals: Salah 14′, Szoboszlai 37′
1. Give the set-piece coach a raise
Don’t blink twice, Liverpool scored from a set-piece!
Heading into this nerve-fraught encounter the Reds were joint-lowest alongside Fulham for set-pieces scored this season (three), and it’s now clearly apparent that this had signalled alarm bells behind the scenes.
Considering title rivals Arsenal have built large parts of their season on set-piece goals, something had to change for Liverpool.
And change it did. Mohamed Salah‘s opener, with the kind flick of deflection, was a thing of beauty.
Everything about it; the drilled pass of Alexis Mac Allister, the calculated blocking of Phil Foden by Andy Robertson, the gorgeous, deft pass of Dominik Szoboszlai and the finding of space from Salah – pure art.
It felt very un-Liverpool. Set piece goals have always been an option for the Reds, especially with the fearsome presence of Van Dijk and Konate in the mix, but for some reason nothing outside-of-the-box seems to happen.
And, to be honest, most of the fan base has been fine with this (here’s looking at you, Iago Aspas, and the corner that will haunt us to the grave).
But here we saw something very different and very pure. A passage of play befitting of champions-elect. Give the set-piece coach a raise. More of that, please.
2. Trent needs to adapt
Whether it’s for Liverpool or Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold needs to have a frank conversation with himself and bring an end to this glass-half-full outlook on his game.
For too long now it’s been a case of elite-level opposition being able to target Trent because of his forward play and one-on-one vulnerabilities, but this can’t cut the mustard any more.
Sure, when fully flying, Trent does what most players can only dream of doing. But City set out with a vaguely sketched game-plan here, and atop of it read: Jeremy Doku to get at and behind Trent.
It worked, time and time again. Either on the run behind with the injection of pure pace, or the dropping of the shoulder to jink inside. So predictable you could set your watch by it.
The level of footballer Trent is, this shouldn’t be a thing. He’s now entering his prime years and to find yourself highlighted as a potential weak link because of a part of your play must be highly embarrassing.
Did any manager ever glance at an opposition teamsheet and look to pinpoint the likes of Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves or Ashley Cole in this way? They were all world-class full-backs, and each operated slightly differently.
Time to start getting honest, Trent.
3. Slot is a tactical marvel
If we’re thinking about this in plain terms, whichever manager replaced Jurgen Klopp would’ve probably been relishing the first matches with City.
This hypothetical person would have been expecting to go up against Pep Guardiola’s titans with their very slick, functional and predictable game plan which has won title after title for years. A style which, while easy to admire, is also easy to study and tune into.
They would also be expecting to enter the match with a desire to compete well, but roundly be accepted as underdogs.
And so… Arne Slot was afforded absolutely none of this.
Instead he entered the match as league leader and overwhelming favourite to snatch the title, against a City side which couldn’t look more unfamiliar and had just plundered £200 million-plus in January.
For all intents and purpose City were a wounded animal, reactionary and highly unpredictable; that’s a pretty grim opposition to face, especially when winning momentum needs to be upheld.
You can’t set up to face the City you’re familiar with, nor can you set up to attempt to blitz an out-of-form opponent. Far too much quality exists within the City ranks to punish constant punch-drunk attacks, especially at the Etihad.
So, what unfolded is an ultimate compliment to Slot.
Liverpool switched and shifted, sliding from one playing style to another before reshuffling the deck and going again.
Slot conducted as his orchestra out on the pitch played in full voice and exposed City in the same manner as others in recent weeks, pressing the boot to the throat in their own backyard.
4. The Endo card is the way forward
Wataru Endo is James Milner reincarnate. Professional, passionate and powered by an energy source which I don’t really have the words to describe.
In midweek Slot praised Endo and his ability to remain razor sharp and focussed whenever called upon, regardless of whatever level of rust has been built up.
And here, in arguably the toughest away ground of them all, the Japanese battle axe provided the perfect tonic once more when brought into the fray.
Liverpool got their goals, worked out the rhythm and the brought on a warrior with a never-say-die attitude. It’s perfect, when backs are against the wall and loose balls need to be won.
The stats will show that City played out large swathes in the Liverpool half in the second period, but the presence of Endo allowed this to happen. The Reds did not have to be frantic, but simply measured and willing to plug all the gaps immediately as they appear.
What goes largely underrated is Endo’s footwork and spatial awareness. He doesn’t break up play and hoof it away, but holds up the ball with an underestimated amount of strength, before carving out a slice of space and locating a short pass.
It’s a god-send, and something Slot and his coaching staff will undoubtedly look to utilise much more as the run-in gathers pace.
5. Salah is the king of kings
What does a king become, when he ascends during his own lifetime? A living god? I don’t even know, but whatever it is – Salah is that.
The Egyptian King is entering unchartered territory. He has done this year upon year, but now it feels beyond ridiculous.
He’ll be 33 in June yet Salah is putting up numbers which are set to surpass that halcyon, hysteria-fuelled debut season in a red shirt. As the minutes ticked by, more records were torn up.
The poor folk at Opta must be bandaging blisters on the fingers, such was the need to hit the keyboards as Salah went about dissecting City. This is what they had to offer:
16 – Mo Salah has scored 16 away goals in the Premier League this season, a joint-record by any player in the competition’s history, along with Kevin Phillips in 1999-00 and Harry Kane in 2022-23. Sweet. pic.twitter.com/9JaZp4g6SF
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 23, 2025
40 – Mohamed Salah is the first player in Premier League history to be involved in 40+ goals in two different seasons.
42 in 2017/18 (32 goals, 10 assists)40 in 2024/25 (25 goals, 15 assists).
Legend. pic.twitter.com/CCV0j3lYN6
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 23, 2025
49 – Mo Salah has both scored and assisted a goal in 49 separate league matches in his career in Europe’s big-five leagues. Since Opta have this data available (from 2006-07), only Lionel Messi (102) and Cristiano Ronaldo (65) have done so more in those divisions. Greatness. pic.twitter.com/48anJvZ9yK
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 23, 2025
It doesn’t finish there, Salah is now also the first player in Premier League history to score and assist in both games against the reigning champions in a season.
The big games appear, and so does Salah. It’s a quality that simply cannot be bought in football. World-class players can blow hot and cold when the spotlight is switched on, but not Liverpool’s No. 11.
It’s poetry in motion, it’s greatness in real-time, and it’s a player hell-bent on becoming a Premier League champion once again.
John W. Henry must be nervously eyeing his savings account, it’s going to be needed to be dipped into soon.
Man City 0-2 Liverpool
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