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Manchester City shredded a weary Liverpool outfit and sent a message to the rest of the Premier League earlier today. Pep Guardiola's side put four past a visibly frustrated Alisson and condemned Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to its worst defeat of this Premier League season.
The match counts for very little in the context of the Premier League with Manchester City consolidating the second place in the EPL table. Liverpool won the Premier League title last week but will now need to win all its remaining matches to surpass Pep Guardiola's record-breaking 100-point tally with Manchester City.
The first twenty minutes saw Manchester City and Liverpool exchange possession regularly as both sides threatened to score on numerous occasions. Liverpool came close to scoring the opening goal when a Mohamed Salah shot hit the post and Sadio Mane was unable to make the most of the rebound.
At the other end, Joe Gomez fouled Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling in the box after the winger wrong-footed the English defender in the penalty area. Kevin De Bruyne dispatched the resulting penalty to give Manchester City the lead.
Raheem Sterling would go on to cause all sorts of problems in Liverpool's half and latched on to a Phil Foden pass to double Manchester City's lead. Kevin De Bruyne tormented Liverpool in the final third and played a brilliant pass to Phil Foden who made it 3-0 at the end of the first half.
Manchester City immediately put pressure on Liverpool at the start of the second half. Liverpool threatened on the counter and an excellent Jordan Henderson pass picked out Sadio Mane but the Liverpool forward inexplicably failed to make contact with the ball.
Sadio Mane thought he had won Liverpool a penalty after a slight contact was made by Kyle Walker in the penalty area but VAR overruled the referee's decision. Manchester City hit back immediately and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turned a powerful Raheem Sterling shot into his own goal.
Liverpool pushed up the pitch in the last fifteen minutes in search of a consolation goal but failed to hit the target. Riyad Mahrez thought he had scored Manchester City's fifth goal of the night but a hand-ball by Phil Foden during the build-up denied him a well-deserved goal.
#1 Hit - Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne is the best midfielder in the Premier League and arguably in the world. The Belgian midfielder proved his mettle yet again today with a classy and confident performance for Manchester City against one of the best teams in the world.
De Bruyne oozed finesse in the midfield and dictated the play for Manchester City. The midfielder tormented Liverpool's defensive lines with his cross-field passes and was a constant threat in the final third.
The former Chelsea star scored his penalty with aplomb and then played a wonderful pass to Phil Foden for Manchester City's third goal. De Bruyne nearly got his second goal in the closing stages of the game and was far too precise for Liverpool's midfield trio.
#2 Flop - Joe Gomez, Liverpool
Joe Gomez had a torrid first half and was dragged across his half by Manchester City's talented stars on several occasions. The English defender had one of his worst games in a Liverpool shirt and was the weakest link in the Liverpool defence.
Joe Gomez gave away a rather unnecessary foul in his own box after impeding Raheem Sterling and consequently pulling him to the ground. Kevin De Bruyne made no mistake from the penalty spot and Liverpool's stunning decline began.
The centre-back's night turned from bad to worse as Raheem Sterling wrong-footed Joe Gomez to score his first goal of the night and double Liverpool's lead. The defender was taken off by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after the first half and will do well to forget this night.
#3 Hit - Phil Foden, Manchester City
Phil Foden was an unstoppable force in Manchester City's midfield today. The young midfielder started in a wide position on the right flank and constantly dragged Andrew Robertson out of position with his clever movement off the ball.
The budding English maestro embarked on a driving run and played a brilliantly weighted pass to Raheem Sterling for Manchester City's second goal. Foden got on the scoresheet himself a few minutes later with an excellent lobbed finish over Alisson.
With David Silva leaving at the end of the season, Phil Foden's impressive performances since the restart of the Premier League put him in pole position to inherit the Spanish legend's place in the side. In Phil Foden, Pep Guardiola has unearthed yet another gem that will serve Manchester City well for years to come.
Also Read: EPL 2019-20 Champions | 5 key moments that define Liverpool's title-winning campaign
#4 Flop - Andrew Robertson, Liverpool
Manchester City found plenty of joy on Liverpool's left flank and Andrew Robertson was the main culprit. The Scottish full-back had one of his worst games under Jurgen Klopp.
Robertson could not do a single thing right tonight and lost Phil Foden in the build-up to Manchester City's second goal. The left-back rushed into the midfield in an attempt to win the ball back only minutes later and Kevin De Bruyne took full toll of the error to hand Phil Foden his goal on a silver platter.
The Liverpool defender was also at fault for Manchester City's fourth goal in the second half and drifted into a central position, leaving Raheem Sterling with plenty of space and time to take his shot. The full-back was uncharacteristically shoddy in the final third and struggled with his decision-making tonight.
#5 Hit - Raheem Sterling, Manchester City
Raheem Sterling will be the happiest man in England tonight. The Manchester City winger has been desperate for a goal against Liverpool for quite a while now and got it in emphatic style.
The former Liverpool winger sent Joe Gomez spinning with a brilliant feint and nutmegged his national teammate to slot the ball past Alisson in the first half. Sterling also showed incredible ball control and strength to win the penalty for Manchester City early in the game.
Sterling also nearly had his second goal of the game in the second half. The pacy winger latched on to a pass for Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne and his shot ricocheted off Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and into the goal. Sterling had one of his best games against Liverpool today and proved a point to his former club.
Also Read: EPL manager Pep Guardiola confirms star winger is "going to Munich"
