Liverpool delivered a statement victory at the Etihad on Sunday, defeating Manchester City 2-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 11 points.
The win dealt another blow to the defending champions, who suffered their second loss in four days after crashing out of the Champions League.
Mohamed Salah once again proved decisive, scoring his 30th goal of the season before setting up Dominik Szoboszlai to double the lead before halftime. The visitors exposed City’s defensive frailties, while the absence of Erling Haaland left Pep Guardiola’s side struggling in attack.
Salah broke the deadlock in the 14th minute with a clever finish from a well-executed set-piece. Alexis Mac Allister’s corner was flicked on by Szoboszlai, and Salah’s shot took a deflection off Nathan Ake before beating Ederson.
City thought they had an equalizer when Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush found the net, but he was ruled offside after receiving a pass from Phil Foden. The hosts dominated possession but lacked the cutting edge to break down Liverpool’s disciplined defense.
Before halftime, Salah turned provider, racing onto a long pass before setting up Szoboszlai, who calmly slotted past Ederson.
Liverpool continued to threaten on the counter in the second half, with Curtis Jones seeing a goal disallowed for offside. Ederson produced a stunning save to deny Luis Diaz, while a last-ditch tackle from Abdukodir Khusanov stopped Szoboszlai from adding a third.
Marmoush, who scored a hat-trick in City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle last weekend, remained a lively presence and came close again with a shot across Alisson Becker’s goal. However, City struggled to convert nearly 70 percent possession into meaningful chances.
Salah described the victory as an “incredible result,” emphasizing the importance of winning at the Etihad in a tightly contested title race.
The result leaves City in fourth, but they remain on course for Champions League qualification with a top-five finish likely to be enough.
Elsewhere, Newcastle boosted their own Champions League hopes with a thrilling 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest. A first-half goal flurry, including two from Alexander Isak, put Newcastle 4-1 up before Forest mounted a late fightback.
The victory lifted Newcastle to fifth, keeping them in contention for a top-four finish.
Reported by Al Jazeera.
