Here’s David Hytner’s match report from the Etihad.
Dominik Szoboszlai spoke to Sky, too: “We were defending 30 metres from our goal and we gave everything. It is part of the game. Sometimes you don’t have the ball and we are happy to take the three points.”
“We have to keep going and Newcastle is going to be a tough game and then 11 more games to go. It never ends so we have to keep calm and keep going and at the end hopefully, we will get there.”
Man of the match, man of the season, Salah spoke to Sky: “It is incredible. It is a very hard place to come and play here. They are a tough team and they have an incredible manager I am glad in the end we won the game. It is special. Especially when you are in the title race, it is incredible.
“Hopefully we keep calm because sometimes the pressure gets to us. We try to win each game. Maybe people prefer my first seasons or now but I prefer now because winning the league, helping the young players, it is special.
“We need another title. Me and the big guys in the team, we need another title.”
Stuart Jenkinson gets in touch: “...City get relegated when the ‘judgment’ comes in and their results expunged, then Liverpool are only 9 points clear and....ah, ok, as you were.”
Sam Trenery: “A drunk Arsenal fan on the train during the week tried to tell me we (Liverpool) haven’t actually been good this season and that we’d collapse in the next few weeks. I’ve been thinking of him and smiling this weekend (Me? Petty? Never). In all seriousness, an absolutely huge weekend and result for us. YNWA”
Andy Mycock gets in touch and offers another view, the City view: “Obviously easier to make assumptions about this game (as lots of people commenting on your commentary are) when you are not at it but Liverpool have been relatively poor today.
“A decent team would have done a proper job on us. City interesting as they are team in transition but lots of positives to take from game. Didn’t give up and played sone nice football in patches. It’s all about next season. Liverpool are one season wonders. Will leave it to your TV warriors to talk crap though. Love to the family etc Andy x”
Cheers, Andy.
Think we all know the answer to this. Simply untouchable.
Rupak doesn’t hold back: “As a Liverpool fan, I must say that seeing Haaland sitting with that dejected look on his face, seeing the Etihad becoming emptyhad and completing League double over City after 15 years feels more than being over the moon. We showed our form of December when we beat Real and City in one week. Let’s hope this ruthlessness continues for one more month, then the celebrations can begin. Who can stop us now? “
Alex adds: “However, they did play against each other once that season when Chelsea faced Basel, with Salah scoring and KdB a later substitute:”
Ben Chia gets in touch: “To answer Steve Hudson’s question, Salah and De Bruyne actually missed each other by a matter of days at Chelsea. The Belgian left Chelsea for Wolfsburg on 18 January 2014. The Egyptian completed his transfer to Chelsea on 26 January 2014.”
There’s the Premier League table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 27 | 38 | 64 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 26 | 28 | 53 |
| 3 | Nottm Forest | 26 | 11 | 47 |
| 4 | Man City | 26 | 15 | 44 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 26 | 10 | 44 |
Full-time: Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool
City gave as much as they had. It wasn’t enough. Arne Slot had too much in hand over Pep Guardiola. Mohamed Salah wanted to make sure the job was done; and he did so, a goal and assist opening up a lead of 11 points. City must scrabble for top five after a day when the need for a rebuild was made plain. Liverpool have 11 games to see out, seven at Anfield.
90+4 min: “We’re gonna win the league,” sing the Liverpool fans. This was the weekend when that became a fait accompli.
90+2 min: City keep probing, But the possession has been sterile. In the stands, we see Erling Haaland, looking disappointed. Could be a long nine years ahead.
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90 min: Four minutes are added on as Salah takes his leave. Harvey Elliot comes on.
89 min: Doku again. He’s kept Trent Alexander-Arnold honest all day but Endo comes to the rescue. Trent looks cream-crackered. Salah, who’s been everywhere, looks fresh as a daisy.
87 min: Doku is denied as makes his latest incursion. He’s kept at it.
85 min: Gene Salorio is back: “City seem static, all passes going to players just stood there rather than on the move. And none to the empty areas where magically a player appears on the run to take the ball. City were the absolute best at the latter, now?”
Marty in Denmark: “It’s a lot (of money) to walk away from but don’t be surprised if Pep ‘shocks the world’ and announces his departure from Man City once the season ends - despite the recently signed 2 year deal...my prediction, anyway....”
Hasan: “Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand the waves of sympathy for de Bruyne’s plight, but I won’t be sad to see the back of him - he gives me the willies. Haaland always get painted as the meat covered cyborg, but for me it’s the Belgian who has the eerily dead eyes of a metal mother trucker. I doubt he’ll ever retire, he’ll just be quietly decommissioned and replaced with an upgrade whose hands can morph into knives. “
Oh, thanks, Hasan.
84 min: City fans plead for handball after Alisson handles from Tsimikas’s mistake. No way was that a back-pass. Small crumbs now for City’s support. Time to recall the good times.
83 min: Szoboszlai denied by the sliding Khusanov after another brilliant pass by Mohamed Salah. The Uzbek has been the pick of City’s defenders.
82 min: City’s reinforcements are still piling onwards but rather haplessly. They’ve been picked off by a team far more in concert with each other.
80 min: Quiz question from Steve Hudson: Did Salah and De Bruyne play together at Chelsea?
79 min: More changes: Gakpo on for Diaz for Liverpool. Not much time for anyone to make a further impression.
77 min: Three changes made by a very wet Guardiola: Marmoush for Gundogan, Ake for Dias and Gonzales for Kovacic. The new Rodri struggled today,
75 min: An exchange of shots: Marmoush slides into the side-netting then Salah shoots. Neither trouble the opposing keeper.
73 min: Changes: Tsimikas for Robertson, Jones for Endo. The Japanese player is the closer. Can City score in a team where Endo has come on as a sub? Nobody has done so yet.
71 min: So much noise from the Liverpool fans. The home end emptying.
70 min: City have been full of effort, and full of possession, but with nothing like the penetration. Doku has the latest attempt, the ball spinning up and making it hard to get any purchase on the shot.
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68 min: By the way, Kevin De Bruyne’s painful race is run. James McAtee has replaced him. That was sad to see.
67 min: Doku is fouled. The ball is zipped towards Marmoush and – just – cleared. Then, Diaz shields the ball from four City defenders.
65 min: Ian Magilton: “Re: minute 60, isn’t Salah older than De Bruyne?
Answer: no.
64 min: Mac Allister zings in a corner, and it’s cleared. De Bruyne wins the ball in midfield, determined to show it’s not yet over. There will be new champions if it stays like this.
62 min: Kristof gets in touch: “Regarding City´s exceptional crumbling, has anyone yet come out with the theory that the players maybe just really resent Pep? They famously dipped in form once he signed his new contract extension, and I could totally see the dressing room be like “Shit, he STAYIN?!”. JUST A THEORY!”
Andy Flintoff: “One link from that Bournemouth game and today is that Nathan Aké (who scored the stoppage-time winner in 2016) is in City’s back line this afternoon.”
Maybe, just maybe?
61 min: Liverpool want a third. Salah is buzzing all over the place. He wants this done, so he can get the contract he wants. Perhaps that’s a bit of projection but much to be decided beyond the pitch at the club.
60 min: As Salah glides and glitters, poor KDB slips and slides and concedes a corner. Poor Kev. Age and nature are the cruellest.
59 min: Liverpool were celebrating as if the title was won, but now have to right themselves.
58 min: City – reprieved – almost score immediately as Doku and Marmoush threaten. The ball is cleared. It almost became 1-2 from 3-0 down.
Liverpool goal chalked off by VAR
But…Szoboszlai sent away, and Jones scores….City cut to ribbons but the Hungarian was offside….
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56 min: Almost a beautiful move. Alisson sends off Salah, down the centre, and his ball almost finds Diaz. Khusanov – somehow – clears….
54 min: Foden – also well, well, off it – loses the ball and Liverpool spring into action. Though instead of the wildcat attack they choose patience. Salah and Szoboszlai attempt a switch-back but it’s cleared. Poor Khusanov is being thrown from the deepest of ends.
52 min: City continue to dominate the ball. But it’s sterile, powderpuff stuff. Liverpool set off at speed. Salah attempts to shoot with the outside of his boot. He scored like that at Bournemouth. Was it a cross? Robertson hoiks it back over and City eventually clear.
51 min: It’s still quiet at City. De Bruyne aims a pass at Savinho but it’s poor. It’s painful to see, like the shot he had at the end of the first half. Feels like he’s being exposed to live up to Guardiola’s suggestion his time has come. Football can be so cruel.
49 min: Savinho wriggles, and Doku weaves. Both continue to be lively. Van Dijk steps into Marmoush’s shot.
48 min: It’s been quiet so far. Liverpool staying in defensive shape, Marmoush having the ball headed away by a towering Konate.
46 min: Can City come back? We’re in for a hell of a half if they do. They begin their Herculean task with a spell of passing. We are told the last time Liverpool lost a game they were 2-0 up was Bournemouth in 2016. I was there, one hell of a rewrite required.
It’s been a big day in the North.
The half-time emails:
Stephen McCrossan: “Salah is clearly brilliant (thought I’d display my searing football insight there) but surely Gvardiol should be doing a bit more against him for the second goal. That was just pathetic.”
Justin Kavanagh: “The decline of Kevin De Bruyne debate today is very interesting. I’ve no idea what makes him tick, as an individual, but what he said about Belgium before the last World Cup (that they were too old to win it) seemed to point to either a/ a complete realist or b/ a man not much given to raging against the dying of the light. Depends which way you look at it, I suppose.”
Zach Neeley: “Salah’s also closing in on the goals+assists record. Alan Shearer had 47 in a season (and that was 42 matches) Salah is on 41 now. Good bet to have most goal involvements in league history and on an expiring contract…”
Ben Wilkinson: “It’s almost like City don’t realise Haaland isn’t on the field. They keep putting crosses into the box, but there’s no one there to meet them.”
Joe Pearson: “I may be mistaken, but it felt like KDB passed more to Liverpool players than his City teammates.”
Peter Oh: “Is Noel Gallagher in the house? It must be so hard for him to watch City Slide Away. He’ll be doing the Poznan of disgust if this keeps up.”
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Half-time: Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool
Liverpool hands are almost on the title after that half. Controlled in defence, two shots on target and two goals, a highly efficient half. City have not given up but their hopes of hauling back their old enemy look all but lost. As it stands, Liverpool have 11 points on Arsenal.
45 min: Doku out right now – why not? – and wins another corner. There’s no way through at the moment. De Bruyne attempts to get involved but is brushed aside. He’s had a painful half, full of effort, so lacking in the old magic. Two minutes were added on to the half.
43 min: De Bruyne whips in a cross; that’s cleared with ease. City just not able to find the angles that can trouble Liverpool.
42 min: Everywhere City turn, there’s a red shirt waiting.
40 min: City trying to rescue something. Konate celebrates as he concedes a corner…Robertson heads that away but chooses not to celebrate.
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38 min: Oh dear, City. That flush is busting. Marmoush rather theatrically wins a free-kick but the ball is cleared. De Bruyne – again – didn’t step up to take it.
Goal! Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool (Szoboszlai, 37)
De Bruyne gets back to read Robertson’s pass to Diaz but can’t set up a counter. The ball eventually goes back to the right. Salah strides on, and plays in Szoboszlai for a simple finish. City’s defenders drawn out, nowhere near the ball.
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36 min: Liverpool retaining possession. Slot-ball in action, reminiscent of the 1980s, sans backpass. The City fans are getting through much booing.
34 min: Here come Liverpool. Diaz out to Salah, reverse pass to Trent, and Ake clears in desperation. Mac Allister takes the corner. Konate can’t get to it.
33 min: The City fans booing, the suspicion being that Mac Allister is breaking up their momentum. He looks genuinely groggy.
31 min: MacAllister got trampled on as Marmoush piled through. Concussion? Both managers up and issuing instructions. Curtis Jones getting plenty from Arne.
City have the ball in the net but offside!
Marmoush sent away, sharp finish, off the post and in. He just misread the timing. Flag on the play.
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30 min: Savinho fouled by Szoboszlai, free-kick that De Bruyne doesn’t fancy taking. Foden goes for glory, rather pointlessly. It’s City’s decision-making that is different.
28 min: Doku is the outlet again but Liverpool are overloading him. Getting men across to him. Twice, his crosses are blocked. He’s also a little hesitant to hit the byline.
26 min: Salah, with power and vision, almost sends away Diaz. As Gary Neville says on the Sky broadcast, he is better than ever. Untouchable this season, nobody even close.
24 min: Gene Salorio: “Watching DeBruyne reminds me, sadly, of Modric in the 4-0 semi-final drubbing City handed Real Madrid in 2023. Great player but clearly not at the level needed against that opponent, still good enough to play a role at the top but not as a central element of the team.”
Modric scored a fine goal today. But, the point stands. KDB may not see the second half at this rate.
23 min: A rare move down the left and Diaz just overdoes it. City clear hurriedly. Nunez and Jota are sat on the bench, Darwin chewing and looking a bit sulky.
22 min: Salah, seemingly annoyed by Doku’s dancing, runs back to concede a corner. That’s poor from Marmoush as Alexander-Arnold clears. Eventually, off the left, Marmoush has a shot. No problem for Alisson.
21 min: Doku on a gallop, past Alexander-Arnold, and then attempting a pass inwards to Foden. That overload attempted again and again. City appear to lack sophistication. Has Pep been spending too much time with Neil Warnock?
19 min: Chris gets in touch: “If one had to summarize the decline of Kevin de Bruyne’s play in one moment, you could do worse than showing a replay of that attempted pass to a wide open Doku that went to TAA instead shortly before the goal.”
He’s always been a player of percentages and risks. Now it’s a risk playing him. Sad, because at his best there have been few to compare.
17 min: Now, can City respond? The wounded animal or the busted flush? Arne Slot is watching replays of the goal. Well-worked, to say the least.
16 min: City can’t say they weren’t warned. Salah is the best in the business and they allowed themselves to lose possession and then let him go at a corner. That’s poor.
15 min: It came off Ake but that was quick-thinking by Szoboszlai, who smashes over to Salah. You know the rest. His 30th of the season, the talisman strikes.
Goal! Manchester City 0-1 Liverpool (Salah, 15)
Yes, guess who.
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12 min: Gvardiol’s intercepts an Alexander-Arnold pass but within seconds the ball is with Liverpool and Salah attempts his sidewinder run, past Ake before hitting heavy traffic. Next, Szoboszlai, after Liverpool press the ball out, sends Diaz to the byline.
11 min: Arne Slot has spotted something. He’s doing that hand-jive thing first made popular by Glenn Hoddle and John Gorman. “Go in to go left, Nigel,” that kind of thing.
10 min: Andy Robertson seems to shove Rico Lewis. Pep himself can be heard complaining about that one. Neither team yet to dictate play. Few nerves, and perhaps some adjusting to do, too.
8 min: Jeremy Boyce gets in touch: “The C beside De Breune’s name could be a mis-print and should be a G, to indicate he’s a ginger. Or is it pre-empting his departure from the game Crocked ? Or possibly “Citizen-til-I-die”, in order to distinguish himself from the rest of the Etihad rabble who are clearly only there for the dosh ? Now that Kyle’s gone...”
Foden drops out and finds space to shoot. Alisson claims but there will be no man-to-man manly battle as with Haaland for Virgil van Dijk.
7 min: Gravenberch is being swarmed over, another popular recent tactic. De Bruyne’s involved in the midfield battle, perhaps trying to show the engine is still running.
5 min: First run for Doku, with Marmoush inside him. The plan appears to be isolating Trent Alexander-Arnold. Does Trent get a complex? Seems every team targets him. Meanwhile, Liverpool do just fine.
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4 min: Diaz raids from the left wing, plenty of flexibility in both attacks. Neither has opted for an out-and-out striker.
3 min: Having flapped at the first corner, Alisson claims the second in the style we have become accustomed to.
2 min: An early slip from Gvardiol leads to Salah’s first shot. It’s blocked, and then City go down the other end and force a couple of corners.
Away we go in Manchester
1 min: Liverpool begin in possession. Both versions of the Steven Gerrard songs being aired. Foden and Marmoush are leading the line for City.
The teams are just about ready. Blue Moon is ringing out at the Eti, and Pep has a sly smile on his face.
Arne Slot’s on Arsenal’s slip, per Sky: “It’s clear it’s impossible not to notice it. You receive text messages and things like this. I wasn’t watching the game myself but of course you get to hear it. My main focus was City. They have had a difficult spell because of injuries, but the squad is bigger and the new players have had an impact already.”
The last time Liverpool won at the Etihad. I was there, and it took a while to come to fruition but the template was set for Klopp’s Liverpool.
The teams’ last meeting.
Pep Guardiola spoke to Sky on that Haaland absence: ““Yesterday after training he didn’t feel good. During these nine years we played many seasons without really important players and we survived. This season, we have had a lot of injuries and we could not survive, but in specific games we have to do it.”
Pep does a lot of harking back these days. Protecting his legacy?
Elsewhere…
Clive Darwell spots a City revival: “I notice that if City win today and Liverpool lose to Newcastle on Wed City would basically be 8 points behind if they won their game in hand. Now they’ve got a runner in midfield and they can recharge batteries without Champions League, and Arsenal are.....Arsenal I’m surprised no one’s talking about them winning - Liverpool could easily get spooked. There’s something very weird about this season.”
Paul Shields gets in touch: “John, looking forward to your minute by minute report in the Guardian for the Liverpool game. That 4-3 result NUFC vs Forrest reminded me of the Roman offerings to their gods. I’ve no idea what I’m on about but there’s something in the air “For those who are about to die we salute you”, or something like that. Ironically, I’ve just got back from a wedding anniversary in Rome. I just hope the omens are good...”
Joe Pearson: “It would be funny if Carragher had the stones to accuse Haaland of Van Dijk-itis. He won’t though, will he?”
Jose asks: ‘What does the (C) mean next to De Bruyne?”
Captain.
Chris in Corfu gets in touch: “It’s just like in years gone bye. City will be two down in 15 minutes and all of sudden l will be back at Maine Road watching peak Cityitis.”
Graeme Neill gets in touch: “Obviously The Narrative suggests that between Arne’s comments the other night and the fact he’s on the bench, Nunez will come on when the game is delicately poised and score the first of the 15 goals he’ll boot in between now and the end of the season. But let’s face it, he’s going to shank the ball into Old Trafford when the goal is gaping in the 94th minute, isn’t he?”
If not Salah, then who is going to score for Liverpool?
Jonathan Wilson has run his rule over the two rivals, both with big – if different – questions to answer.
All eyes on Marmoush and Salah in Egypt.
Only two attackers for Liverpool in Salah and Diaz? NO DARWIN? No Jota, who was responsible for a couple of misses at Villa Park too. Both are on the bench.
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Ilkay Gundogan and the injured John Stones are out, Gundo benched, Stones on the long-term list. Surprise recall for Kevin De Bruyne as Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku come in.
Odd, considering these comments:
“But maybe for the demands, the way we now need to play because of the absences or strengths that we have and physicality and many things, we need a game of more control and not up and down. Don’t tell me why. It’s not personal, I decide the decisions, that’s all, no more than that...”
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Jamie Carragher looked a bit twitchy when he and Micah Richards were bantering earlier. His socials suggest his comments were taken out of context. Pep was fuming. All fuel to the fire.
Haaland’s knee problem looked nasty last week – but City have been tight-lipped.
The teams - No Haaland
Manchester City: Ederson, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, Gvardiol, Nico, De Bruyne (C), Savinho, Foden, Doku, Marmoush. Subs: Ortega Moreno, Dias, Kovacic, Grealish, Gundogan, Bernardo, Reis, Nunes, McAtee
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones, Diaz, Salah. Subs: Kelleher, Quansah, Tsimikas, Endo, Nunez, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Jota.
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Preamble
There we were, now here we are, all this confusion: which Manchester City team will Liverpool face? The team they came to fear and respect over so many years? Or the fallible, panicky group that was humiliated in Madrid? Mind, which Liverpool team do we see today? There’s been signs of a wobble, Arne Slot not looking nearly so cool. Liverpool aim for the title, City look to the top five but despite those varying targets, it’s still key to how the season ends.
Kick-off at 4.30pm. Join me.
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