Defeating Manchester City, Liverpool Almost Played Perfectly

Liverpool overpowered Manchester City with a 2-0 victory on Sunday (Dec 1), thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to a commanding nine points and deepening City's slump to seven games without a win.

This result marks City's first four-game losing streak in the Premier League since 2008, pushing Pep Guardiola's side down to fifth in the standings, 11 points behind their fierce rivals.

Liverpool, buoyed by a midweek Champions League triumph over Real Madrid, started the game energetically. They could have wrapped it up by half-time with several chances, including two powerful headers from Virgil van Dijk, one of which hit the woodwork.
The opening goal came in the 12th minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a superb long pass to Salah on the right wing. Salah's low cross evaded Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, allowing Gakpo to tap in at the back post.

Salah doubled Liverpool's lead with a penalty in the 78th minute after Luis Diaz was brought down by Ortega, sending the Anfield crowd into raptures.

"It's very special and I don't take it for granted. It's always special to score at Anfield and win games," Salah said, acknowledging speculation over his contract renewal and hinting that it could be his last game at home to City.
The result marked manager Arne Slot's 18th win in 20 games, a testament to his successful start at Liverpool. Slot has added defensive solidity and midfield control to the ferocious attacking style of his predecessor, Jürgen Klopp.
With an unblemished start in Europe, Liverpool now lead the Premier League with 34 points after 13 games, nine points clear of Arsenal and Chelsea.

Pressing relentlessly, Liverpool had 18 shots, including seven on target, compared to City's eight shots with only two on target. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander-Arnold, Gakpo, and Salah kept Ortega busy, while City struggled, even with their passing game.
City's best chance was a wide shot from Rico Lewis, with Erling Haaland barely making an impact.

Slot expressed satisfaction with the performance but wished his team had secured the second goal earlier.

"We came close to perfection. That's the only way to beat City," Slot said, celebrating the significant achievement against the reigning champions.
In an unexpected gesture, Guardiola took the fans' taunts about being sacked in good humor, raising six fingers to signify his Premier League titles.
"I didn’t expect them to chant that, maybe I deserve to be sacked," a humorous Guardiola said, congratulating Liverpool on their deserved victory.
Liverpool captain Van Dijk, who effectively contained Haaland, cautioned against early title talks.

"We focus on the next game, that’s all we can do. There’s no point at this stage of the season in getting ahead of ourselves," he said.
"I think City is a fantastic team, four-times champions in a row, and they have quality to punish any team. I think defensively today we did really well, offensively too. We could have scored more, overall it’s been a great day."
Salah's contribution ensured his place in Liverpool lore, as he matched Wayne Rooney's record of scoring and assisting in 36 Premier League games.