‘KOP WIN TO LAST DECADES’
TOUR DE FOURCE Salah’s winner
Oxlade-ch 9 Firmino 59 Mane 61 Salah 68 Premier League, January 14, 2018 Att at Anfield: 53,285 BY MANCHESTER CITY headed to Anfield as the new Invincibles.
The Premier League leaders were on an unbeaten run that stretched back nine months and 33 games, including a 5-0 thrashing of Liverpool earlier that season.
But, for nine second-half minutes, City were simply blown away.
Liverpool went into the match unbeaten in 17 games, but were without Philippe Coutinho, following his £142million move to Barcelona. Fair to say, he wasn’t missed. Only nine minutes into the match, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was punching the air in joy after Alex Oxlade-chamberlain fired home an angled right-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area.
But City were level five minutes before the break through Leroy Sane’s wizardry. The German wrongfooted two defenders and then smashed a shot between keeper Loris Karius and his near post.
Liverpool went up a gear after the break and it was no surprise when they went back in front on 59 minutes. Roberto Firmino lifted his shot over City keeper Ederson and watched the ball bounce into the net off the inside of the post.
Ederson was groping at thin air again a few minutes later as Sadio Mane made amends for his red card at the Etihad earlier that season with a scorching, 20-yard left-footer.
Liverpool went further clear with a third goal in the space of nine minutes as Mo Salah took advantage of Ederson’s poor clearance to lob the stranded City keeper.
Bernardo Silva handed City an 84th-minute lifeline and Ilkay Gundogan stabbed home in the first of four minutes of injury time.
City couldn’t find an equaliser and Klopp (right) said: “This was a historic game you will talk
Sane 40 Bernardo 84 Gundogan 90 + 1