Arne Slot's side were untouchable and showed exactly why they've been the dominant force in the top-flight this season
Who could deny it now? Manchester City's stranglehold on the Premier League title is well and truly up – and Arne Slot's Liverpool have usurped them as the new kings. Now 11 points clear at the top after beating the reigning champions 2-0 for the second time this season, the Reds showed that they're just far too slick, smart and in fantastic shape to be caught by rivals struggling with injuries and inconsistency.
Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, who traded assists and goals in the first half, were the outright stars at the Etihad Stadium, but there were many strong performances from the visitors, with only Trent Alexander-Arnold looking glaringly woeful against Jeremy Doku on Liverpool's right side.
Slot's men enjoyed a bright start thanks to their smart use of the ball and earned a corner in the 12th minute thanks to a threatening move by Luis Diaz. Alexis Mac Allister delivered the ball straight to the front post where Szoboszlai knocked it back to Salah, who blasted it in with the help of a big deflection to round off a fine set-piece move.
City went in search of the equaliser and thought they had found it just after the half-hour mark when their new sensation Omar Marmoush beat Alisson after a fine run, but the flag was up.
Five minutes later, Liverpool doubled their lead when Alexander-Arnold's ball over the top brought down by Salah, whose tricky work on the wing freed him up to find Szoboszlai, and the Hungarian took it across his body before sending it through the legs of Abdukodir Khusanov and into the bottom corner.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, Arne Slot's team thought they had the game wrapped up when Curtis Jones tapped in after Szoboszlai's pass, but the latter was offside earlier in the move. And while City didn't quite give up, it was clear there was no way back into the game over the remainder of the half as the Reds sealed a vital victory.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from the Etihad Stadium…
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Alisson (7/10):
City mainly hit the target with long-range efforts, but the Brazilian kept them out and looked a lot better than his counterpart at the other end.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (3/10):
Looked so shaky defensively that Doku left him on the ground and Salah had to rush in behind to help the Reds recover.
Ibrahima Konate (7/10):
A rock! He covered for the right-back's flaws with his positioning and dealt with all that came his way.
Virgil van Dijk (8/10):
Cleaned up everything that City threw at him as half of a tremendous centre-back pairing.
Andy Robertson (6/10):
Had a few good tackles and clearances, but struggled when Savinho came at him.
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Ryan Gravenberch (6/10):
Sent a smart pass into Szoboszlai's path to set up Jones, but VAR ruled it out. Didn't offer enough defensively, though.
Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):
A subtle but effective performance as he kept De Bruyne quiet.
Dominik Szoboszlai (8/10):
Smart with his passing right from the off, which helped win a corner, that he diverted back into the box for Salah to open the scoring. Slick finish to make it 2-0, and also set up Jones' disallowed strike.
Curtis Jones (6/10):
Got into dangerous areas and thought he'd scored before he went off with 15 minutes left.
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Mohamed Salah (8/10):
Another quality performance to give his team an early lead and then build on it. Put in so much effort and never stopped going for it.
Luis Diaz (6/10):
Looked lively at the start but faded away. Almost ran through on goal in the second half, but ended up on the ground, later saw a decent shot saved by Ederson.
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Kostas Tsimikas (5/10):
On for the last 15 minutes to help shore up at left-back.
Wataru Endo (6/10):
Immediately showed the kind of fight that drew praise from Slot during the week. It was needed, too, as City managed to get forward a bit more.
Cody Gakpo (5/10):
Only had one touch.
Harvey Elliott (N/A):
Came on in stoppage time.
Jarell Quansah (N/A):
Even later introduction than Elliott.
Arne Slot (8/10):
Can have few complaints about his team's performance. They were effective all over the field as they made a massive statement at the home of the champions.
