And now you are going to consider them.
A 2-0 victory over Manchester Metropolis means Liverpool have opened up an 11-point lead on the prime of the Premier League desk. Their triumph on the Etihad Stadium means they’ve accomplished a league double over the champions, and Arne Slot seems to be poised to steal Pep Guardiola’s crown in 12 months one.
A flawed Metropolis had been drastically hindered by Erling Haaland’s absence having loved loads of territory and far of the ball. Sky blue storms had been weathered with aplomb by the environment friendly Reds, who managed the competition within the second half after taking a 2-0 lead earlier than half-time.
Right here had been each groups’ greatest and worst gamers from Sunday’s vital duel.
January signing Omar Marmoush introduced himself to the Premier League with a hat-trick towards Newcastle final weekend, and Metropolis supporters ought to doubtlessly be inspired by the expertise they have at their disposal.
The win over Eddie Howe’s Magpies confirmed how efficient Marmoush will likely be whereas working in tandem with Haaland. He was compelled to tackle better accountability towards the Reds with Guardiola once more opting to utilise him as a part of a false 9 pair with Phil Foden. There was loads of drifting, with sparks rising when he dropped between the traces, and his end (from an offside place) depicted simply how environment friendly he may be in entrance of aim.
Liverpool’s imperious centre-backs endured rendered this an enormous problem, however the Egyptian’s risk was apparent within the opening hour. He is able to producing one thing from nothing.
A concerted effort has been made to protect Kevin De Bruyne for the ‘massive’ events throughout what’s more likely to be the Belgian’s swan tune in Manchester. The midfield, nevertheless, was an unused substitute in Madrid on Wednesday, and he barely had an hour in his locker right here.
Bodily, 33-year-old De Bruyne is now not a power. Whereas the Belgian can nonetheless weave his magic wand and create masterfully off each toes, the working energy of his apex has dissipated. The hamstring surgical procedure he underwent in 2023 has taken its toll.
The iteration of De Bruyne which manifested towards Liverpool was a far cry from the Metropolis powerhouse who spearheaded a number of title triumphs. He should’ve been trying on at Dominik Szoboszlai with seething envy.
Liverpool had been sensible as a collective, with the foundations for his or her victory laid from the again. Alisson exuded calm after a nervy early punch, and their centre-back pairing defended the field with classic vigour.
Nevertheless, it was the Reds’ inevitable power who proved to be the distinction once more.
Metropolis restricted Liverpool to moments, however that is all Mohamed Salah required to steer the guests to an imperious triumph. The Egyptian has Bournemouth’s set-piece coach to thank (and Dominik Szoboszlai’s pleasant flick) for the extension of his mightily spectacular goalscoring run which prolonged to eight video games.
Salah then returned the favour earlier than the break, teeing up Szoboszlai to attain Liverpool’s second which put the sport past the hosts. He is now notched 50 aim contributions in all competitions this time period (41 within the Premier League), and is continuous to embark on one of many all-time nice particular person seasons.
This absolutely would’ve been a unique sport had Erling Haaland been parading across the Liverpool field given the success Metropolis’s wingers loved up towards their respective full-backs.
Savinho and Jeremy Doku had been unable to ship with dependable accuracy from crossing conditions, however a lot of their strategy play – to make use of a golf reference – was sensible. They had been relentlessly in a position to create a yard of separation, and Doku was notably efficient up towards Trent Alexander-Arnold. The England full-back continuously tried to poke possession away from the Belgian once they lined up one-on-one, however Doku’s toes had been far too fast.
Alexander-Arnold was dribbled previous a whopping eight instances within the first half alone, and Slot finally made adjustments which supplied extra assist as Wataru Endo entered the fray and joined Liverpool’s backline. Andrew Robertson was additionally changed on the left by Kostas Tsimikas.
This actually wasn’t Manchester United at dwelling ranges of dangerous from Alexander-Arnold, who supplied some worth in possession, however Doku rendered this a troublesome outing for him.
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