Salah and Szoboszlai Shine as Liverpool Secures Impressive Win Against Man City

Liverpool moved closer to matching the record of 20 English top-flight titles with a 2-0 victory over reigning champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, increasing their lead at the Premier League’s top to 11 points.

The news of Arsenal’s loss to West Ham on Saturday prompted celebrations across Merseyside, but Arne Slot understood that his team needed a win in a stadium where they have only triumphed once in their last 15 visits.

It’s worth noting that this City side is not quite the same as the one seen in recent seasons, and the away supporters erupted in joy within 15 minutes when Dominik Szoboszlai directed Alexis Mac Allister’s near-post corner to the penalty spot, allowing Mohamed Salah to finish with a deflection off Nathan Ake.

The home side responded forcefully and were unlucky to have Omar Marmoush’s strike disallowed for offside after a pass from Phil Foden.

Nevertheless, Liverpool executed their defensive and counter-attacking strategy flawlessly to extend their lead.

Trent Alexander-Arnold played a perfectly weighted ball over the top to Salah, who sprinted down the right and crossed for Szoboszlai, who calmly slotted in a low shot.

Historically, City has come back to win 4-2 in two of their last three league matches after trailing 2-0 at half-time, but this match offered little evidence of a similar revival.

Indeed, Liverpool had a Curtis Jones goal ruled out for offside before Ederson made a superb save to tip away a curling effort from Luis Diaz.

Meanwhile, City appeared to be lacking luck, with every pass and touch evading them as the rain began to fall.

Only the visiting supporters could be heard in the closing 10 minutes, as Liverpool comfortably maintained their lead and controlled the game.

This outcome, following a 2-0 victory at Anfield in December, marks just Liverpool’s third league double over City and hands them their largest lead over Arsenal in second place.

With a League Cup final and a UEFA Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon, Pep Guardiola’s best hope now is to secure a top-four finish and make an impact in the FA Cup.

Read the match summary here