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 0-0 Manchester City
7 mins
Another chance for the home side as Akanji gives the ball straight to Gravenberch, but it’s another shot straight at Ortega.
The hosts have started brighter here, and city haven’t managed to settle yet.
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester City
6 mins
Dias does well to win his first tussle with Salah, but his clearance is straight back to the hosts. Szoboszlai drives in a low cross, but there are too many bodies in the box for Diaz to find a shooting chance.
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester City
4 mins
First good chance of the match as Liverpool pounce to win possession in midfield and Diaz slides it to Gakpo. He cuts back and eventually forces a good save from Ortega, but he’d strayed offside anyway.
Warning signs for City.
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester City
2 mins
Liverpool have the first half-chance of the match as Salah clips in a diagonal cross, but it runs out of play.
The home sides have made a quick start, applying plenty of pressure.
KICK-OFF! Liverpool 0-0 Manchester City
The home side get us underway at Anfield! What a game we could have in store here.
Liverpool vs Manchester City LIVE
Both sides are coming out of the tunnel at Anfield, so we’re only a few minutes away from kick-off.
City have lost their last three Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 47 combined (W35 D9). They last lost four consecutive league games between April-August 2008.
In his managerial career, Pep Guardiola has only lost more games against Tottenham (9) than he has against Liverpool (8). He’s won just six of his 22 meetings with the Reds (27 per cent), which is his lowest win rate against any side he’s faced more than five times in all competitions.
The inspiration at heart of Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola’s new rivalry
Arne Slot liked what he heard and then what he saw. He had tuned in on Tuesday. He had a personal and a professional interest when his former club visited his next opponents. “What made this game special for me was more sitting at home, putting the volume up and hearing the Feyenoord fans singing my name,” he said. “That’s the biggest compliment you can get if you leave a club, that the fans still like you.”
The team that Slot built then shocked the side he will face on Sunday. Manchester City were seemingly heading to Anfield this weekend with a restorative win. Then came a comeback for the ages and for the watching Slot: no side had been 3-0 down that late in a European Cup game and avoided defeat. “For me as a Feyenoord fan, I could hardly believe what I saw,” said Slot.
“At 3-1 you thought, ‘OK…’ but then City took control again. Then it was 3-2 and then 3-3. You don’t see this very often. It was the first time in the history of the Champions League this has happened.” It prompted Slot to get in touch with some old friends. “I spoke to more than a few people to congratulate them but it was not in a tactical manner,” he said.
The inspiration at heart of Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola’s new rivalry
After almost a decade of Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola’s clashes on the touchline, Liverpool and Manchester City’s rivalry takes a new form at Anfield
Team news - Manchester City
Pep Guardiola swings the selection scythe with goalkeeper Ederson only on the bench as Stefan Ortega is given a big opportunity. Rico Lewis looks likely to occupy the Rodri role.
Manchester City XI: Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Lewis, Gundogan, Nunes; Bernardo, Haaland, Foden.
Team news - Liverpool
With no Ibrahima Konate, it is Joe Gomez to partner Virgil van Dijk in the heart of a Liverpool defence that also includes Trent Alexander-Arnold. Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo both start in the front three.
Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
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