Anfield hoodoo haunts Man City United fight back to win 32
Pressure on Guardiola to break Liverpool manager Klopp’s domination in their rivalry
LIVERPOOL: Billions of pounds of investment from Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners over the past decade has reaped three Premier League titles and transformed the blue half of Manchester from “noisy neighbours” into the dominant side in the city.
However, the Premier League champions travel to Liverpool on Sunday hoping to finally achieve something that has so far been beyond City’s cash-rich era — a win at Anfield. City were last victorious at Anfield in 2003 and have lost 12 of their last 17 visits.
A coach not accustomed to losing, City boss Pep Guardiola has been defeated on all three of his visits to Anfield and in Juergen Klopp faces one of the few managers who can boast a winning record against the Catalan.
Just seven games into the Premier League season, no knockout blow can be landed this weekend.
But with both sides only separated by City’s superior goal difference at the top of the table having dropped just two points each so far this season, the clash will go a long way to telling if Liverpool are capable of knocking Guardiola’s men off their perch.
“It’s very tough, probably the toughest away game of the season in the Premier League,” admitted City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
While City are seeking to consolidate themselves as the dominant force in English football by becoming the first side in a decade to retain the title, Klopp’s task is to end Liverpool’s near threedecade wait to win the league. With Manchester United already nine points adrift and Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea also playing catch-up, Liverpool know beating City is the key.
“Obviously we won the last three games against City. After none of these games you go into the dressing room and think, ‘Now we’ve got it, now we know how to beat Manchester City’,” insisted Klopp.
“There is no real way, no one thing that you have to do.” By the time Klopp exited Dortmund, the two had four wins each. To put Klopp’s authority into perspective, Guardiola had lost only nine domestic games in that period. MANCHESTER: Under-pressure Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho saw his side score three goals, including a late winner, as they beat lowly Newcastle 3-2 at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Amid newspaper speculation he could be sacked this weekend, Mourinho’s side fell 2-0 behind as early as the 10th minute after goals from Kenedy and Yoshinori Muto fired the visitors -- who haven’t won in the league this season -- into a shock lead.
But Juan Mata pulled a goal back in the 70th minute with a fine free-kick, Anthony Martial equalised six minutes later and Alexis Sanchez scored in the 90th minute to end United’s run of four games without a win. Victory saw United move up into eighth place in the table but still left them six points adrift of leaders Manchester City, who are away to Liverpool on Sunday.
SPURS BEAT 10-MAN CARDIFF CITY
LONDON: Cardiff City’s Premier League woes continued as they had a man sent off in a 1-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Eric Dier scored his first league goal since April 2017 after eight minutes when the ball fell to the Englishman to tap in from six yards out. Both Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura missed good chances to extend Spurs’ lead before halftime.