Manchester City’s winless streak extended to seven matches, casting serious doubt over their chances of retaining the Premier League title. Despite needing a strong performance to break free from their slump, City failed to deliver, putting up a lackluster display. Liverpool, on the other hand, dominated almost the entire match and claimed a commanding victory.
At Anfield on Sunday, Arne Slot’s Liverpool triumphed 2-0 in the highly anticipated Premier League clash. Cody Gakpo opened the scoring before Mohamed Salah doubled the lead, securing the win for the Reds.
City’s last victory came on October 26 against Southampton. Since then, they have suffered four consecutive league defeats and remain winless in their last seven matches across all competitions, losing six of them. Following last week’s humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur, Pep Guardiola warned that a loss at Anfield could end their title hopes. That fear became a reality, as the defending champions now trail league leaders Liverpool by 11 points.
Liverpool sits at the top of the table with 34 points from 13 matches, including 11 wins and a draw. Arsenal follows in second place with 25 points, while City has dropped to fifth with 23 points.
Liverpool applied relentless pressure on City right from the start, and the reigning champions appeared vulnerable within the first five minutes.
In the 11th minute, Liverpool nearly scored when Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner found Virgil van Dijk, whose header was denied by the post.
However, just a minute later, Liverpool erased that disappointment. Mohamed Salah made a brilliant run down the right flank and delivered a perfect cross to Gakpo, who tapped it into the net to put the Reds ahead.
City tried to respond after being pinned down for the first 20 minutes. They focused on maintaining possession but failed to create any significant opportunities before halftime. Erling Haaland, far from his usual self, lost the ball near Liverpool’s box in the 26th minute.
By halftime, Liverpool had taken 10 shots, four of which were on target, while City managed just one off-target effort.
City showed some improvement after the break but continued to lack a cutting edge. In the 74th minute, Gakpo had a golden opportunity to double Liverpool’s lead but fired his shot straight at the goalkeeper.
City’s growing confidence took a major blow in the 77th minute. Liverpool launched a counter-attack, and Luis Díaz broke into the box only to be brought down by goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
Despite missing a penalty against Real Madrid in the Champions League midweek, Salah made no mistake this time. The Egyptian forward calmly converted from the spot, extending Liverpool’s lead. Salah has now scored in six consecutive league matches, taking his tally to 11 goals this season.
City had a chance to turn the game around in the 83rd minute when a rare mistake by Van Dijk allowed Kevin De Bruyne to break through. However, De Bruyne’s poor shot hit a defender and was eventually saved by Alisson.
City’s hopes of a comeback effectively ended there, as they managed just two shots on target from eight attempts throughout the match, failing to trouble Liverpool in the closing stages.
In other matches, Chelsea defeated Aston Villa 3-0, climbing to third with 25 points from 13 games. Brighton follows in fourth with 23 points. Meanwhile, Manchester United thrashed Everton 4-0, moving up to ninth in the table with 19 points.