Liverpool v Manchester City LIVE: Result and reaction after leaders pile more misery on Pep Guardiola’s side
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City: The hosts dominated at Anfield to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool confirmed their place as top contenders for the Premier League title as they piled yet more misery on Manchester City with a 2-0 victory at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s extended their advantage at the top of the table to nine points and now lead their long-time title rivals by 11 points. Cody Gakpo turned home the opener early on after a rampant start from the hosts as Mohamed Salah laid a goal on a plate for his front-three colleague, with Liverpool unfortunate not to add to their tally in a dominant first-half performance.
Things continued in much the same vein after the interval, with Salah adding a second from the spot with a cool and crisp penalty. It extended Manchester City’s run of games without a win to seven in all competitions, leaving any prospect of a title challenge surely slim.
Re-live all of the action from Anfield in our live blog below:
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
46 mins
The corner comes to nothing as Szoboszlai squares it to Alexander-Arnold, who fires well over from distance.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
45 mins
There’ll be three minutes of added time here, as a Liverpool counter is stopped as Ake intercepts Diaz’s pass. Moments later, Salah runs at the Dutchman again and wins a corner.
Akanji is another player into the referee’s book, after a late challenge of his own.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
44 mins
City are enjoying more possession over the last few minutes, but they can’t make anything of it yet. It’s all a bit static at the moment.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
41 mins
The match has certainly settled down now as we approach half-time, but little has changed in terms of Liverpool’s overall control.
The hosts have obviously not been able to keep up the same level of early pressing, but they’re limiting City whenever they do have it.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
39 mins
Home fans want a penalty as Gakpo goes down when trying to control a long pass, but the referee waves it away.
City have a chance to get forward and Gundogan slips it to Haaland, who squares it to Lewis. He sees the space open up in front of him and opts to shoot, but it’s a tame effort that dribbles wide.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
37 mins
It was a chance to get the ball into the box for City but it’s so poor, as they play it short and then dawdle on it before Walker clips a long ball to nobody.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
36 mins
Nice play from Gakpo as he picks it up and manages to get around Walker, but he loses his balance as he tries to cut it back. On the counter, Gravenberch brings down Gundogan, and the Dutchman is the latest to be booked.
ANALYSIS: Manchester City restore sense of calm - Liverpool must make dominance count
It's hard to think of too many occasions, even one, when someone has done this to a Pep Guardiola team. Liverpool have just dominated Manchester City like Pep Guardiola's initial Barcelona team, from the possession to the pressing.
City have managed to calm things a bit, but only a bit. It could easily be 4-0 to Liverpool and that wouldn't be any way undeserved. The first 20 minutes was remarkable football, where the champions just couldn't live with Liverpool's energy. That has inevitably dissipated in the natural ebb and flow of games, but there's just constantly that danger for City that Liverpool can just rev up. Against that, City haven't had a shot and have barely had a meaningful touch in the box. For one, when Erling Haaland finally looked like he might make something happen, Virgil van Dijk easily nicked the ball away. The Liverpool centre-half has offered much more of a goal threat, particularly two his two close headers from set-pieces. There is maybe just that slight sense, however, that Liverpool need to make this utter dominance really count so there's no risk.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
34 mins
Salah wins another corner and this one is headed away, falling to Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box. He brings it down well and fires a shot from distance that clips the bottom of the post!
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City
32 mins
The attacking play has been a bit more measured from Liverpool over the last 10 minutes (rather than waiting to pounce on the counter), though Foden gets a yellow card for stopping Gravenberch on the counter by pulling him back.
It’s less frantic than before, but still comfortable for the hosts.
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