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Manchester City made a major statement of intent at the home of one of their closest rivals for the Premier League title. Pep Guardiola's side registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
A brace from Ilkay Gundogan was added to by former Liverpool man Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden. Mohamed Salah’s penalty ultimately proved to be a consolation goal for the home side.
With neither side willing to commit too much too soon, the highlight of a cagey first half came in the 37th minute when Gundogan sent a penalty high over the bar, after Sterling had been clumsily brought down in the box by Fabinho.
However, the German made amends for his error four minutes into the second half. Gundogan prodded home the rebound after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson saved Foden’s shot.
Liverpool were then awarded a penalty of their own as Ruben Dias tugged back Salah in the penalty area. The Egyptian made no mistake with his spot-kick as he brought his side back on level terms just after the hour mark.
Liverpool’s equalizer seemed to spur Manchester City on, and they re-took the lead 10 minutes later. Foden pounced on a botched clearance from Alisson and set up Gundogan to bag his brace.
Alisson’s night went from bad to worse in the 76th minute. Another one of his misplaced passes was picked off by Bernardo Silva, who dinked the ball across goal for Sterling to head home into an unguarded net.
Foden then secured the three points in the 83rd minute, cutting in from the right before rifling a powerful left-footed effort past Alisson into the roof of the net.
The win sees City move five points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand over their neighbors. On the other hand, fourth-placed Liverpool are yet to win a home game in 2021.
On that note, here are the five major talking points from what could turn out to be a title-deciding fixture between Manchester City and Liverpool at Anfield.
#1 Manchester City’s abysmal penalty record against Liverpool continues
Most teams would be happy to receive a penalty at any point when playing against Liverpool. But Manchester City might beg to differ, as Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty miss was the third time in recent memory that the Cityzens had missed from 12 yards against this particular opposition.
What makes this repeat occurrence even more bizarre is the fact that not only have the misses have come from a different player on each occasion, but all three spot-kicks have also missed the target completely.
Gundogan’s effort, which went flying over the crossbar into the Kop, joined Riyad Mahrez’s similarly lofted penalty against Liverpool from November 2018. It also slotted alongside Kevin De Bruyne’s off-target effort against the Reds earlier on in the season.
In fact, the missed opportunity puts City on level terms with Fulham in terms of penalties missed this season, with Raheem Sterling having blazed over against Brighton in addition to Manchester City’s twin misses against Liverpool.
Given their wretched form when it comes to spot-kicks, Pep Guardiola and his men might consider spending extra time working on their penalties on the training ground. Such misses might prove to be crucial later on in the season.
#2 A battle of two completely contrasting central defensive partnerships
Both Liverpool and Manchester City have seen their central defenders come under the spotlight over the course of this season, albeit for drastically different reasons.
While Liverpool have keenly felt the long-term absence of their key central defenders this season, Manchester City’s newly-formed central defensive pairing of Ruben Dias and John Stones has earned high praise from all parts.
And so, while Manchester City came into this fixture on the back of seven straight clean sheets in the league - thanks to their near-impregnable backline - Liverpool were forced to field two converted central midfielders at the heart of their defense.
Even though Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have deputized well for the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, their absence from Liverpool’s midfield has impacted adversely on the Reds’ form.
With defensive reinforcements brought in over the January transfer window, Jurgen Klopp will be looking to integrate them into the starting lineup as soon as possible and quickly reinstate Henderson and Fabinho in midfield. This can help Liverpool begin a return to normalcy.
#3 Manchester City are showcasing their formidable squad depth
In a season where injuries and illnesses have taken their toll on every team, Manchester City have been able to deal extremely well with the packed schedule and the problems that come with COVID-19.
Such is the quality that Manchester City currently have in every position that injuries to key personnel over the course of the season have not derailed their progress in any of the competitions they have featured in.
Be it the absence of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus in attack, Ederson in goal, or Kevin De Bruyne in midfield, Pep Guardiola has been able to call upon supremely competent deputies who have stepped up to fill the void.
The striker’s role has been filled in by the star-studded array of midfielders at Guardiola’s disposal in his favored false 9 formation. Meanwhile, Zack Steffen has proved to be a dependable backup goalkeeper, while Gundogan has taken the league by storm with his contributions from midfield.
Furthermore, Stones and Dias have been so impressive in defense that the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, and Eric Garcia can hardly get a look-in. On the other hand, summer signing Ferran Torres has also had to bide his time after starting the season brightly.
With the importance of a relatively injury-free squad more heightened than ever before, Manchester City’s impressive squad depth can be the key to the successes they achieve this season.
#4 Liverpool’s home form has taken an unexpected turn for the worse
After a mammoth run of 68 games unbeaten in the Premier League at Anfield, Liverpool found their impressive streak unexpectedly halted by Burnley earlier this month.
And while Liverpool fell short of their pursuit of Chelsea’s remarkable run of 86 games unbeaten, the Burnley defeat was viewed only as an unexpected aberration at the time.
As it turned out, that result would be the catalyst for an abysmal run of home form for the Reds. Brighton also emerged from Anfield with three points, before Manchester City inflicted this most recent defeat on Liverpool.
To make matters worse, Salah’s penalty against Manchester City was the first goal Liverpool have scored at home in 2021 - a far cry from their free-scoring ways that saw them claim the title last season.
While a team of Liverpool’s class will not take long to rediscover its home form, the margins are extremely tight at the top of the Premier League. And Liverpool might look back at this Anfield slump as a crucial moment on their journey to retain their title.
#5 Can Manchester City be caught at the top of the Premier League table?
Having overcome a sluggish start to the Premier League season, Manchester City have flexed their muscles and now sit comfortably atop the table.
This 4-1 win over Liverpool is the latest statement of intent they have made to the rest of the league, opening up a five-point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand over their nearest rivals in the process.
Add to that the fact that the next five teams below Manchester City in the standings all dropped points this weekend, and Manchester City’s title credentials seem to grow stronger with every passing result.
If they are to be leapfrogged in the table come the end of the season, it seems like only a herculean effort by a fellow title contender or a monumental collapse on the part of Manchester City will suffice.
And while either of those scenarios would make for great viewing, the possibility of that actually happening seems fairly remote at this stage.
