Manchester City rampant as champions clock off early
As they stepped on to the pitch, Liverpool’s players were given a guard of honour from Manchester City. It was the only time they looked like Premier League champions.
“I think they drank a lot of beers in the last week,” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
The dethroned champions made sure there was an abrupt comedown from the partying. A merciless attacking display sparked by City scorers Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden consigned Liverpool to a 4-0 loss exactly a week after their 30-year title drought ended.
“They were quicker than us in mind — we lacked fluidity,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “Isn’t it nice another team can be champions when Man City play so well?”
The slack defending and lack of sharpness from Liverpool was perhaps forgivable from players who had spent the previous 31 rounds establishing an unprecedented 23-point lead to become England’s earliest league champions.
Such an emphatic loss is not how Liverpool wanted to close out such a memorable season. Especially when there are still enough games to overhaul City’s record 100-point haul from
2017-18.
Klopp wasn’t as downbeat as the result suggested.
“I saw a brilliant attitude, I saw boys who were fighting with all their effort,” he said. “We didn’t behave like somebody who became champions a week ago.”
It was a night to forget for so many Liverpool players — particularly Joe Gomez, who dragged Raheem Sterling down to concede a penalty converted by Kevin De Bruyne in the
25th minute.
Sterling and Gomez reunited in a Premier League match for the first time since Liverpool’s victory over City at Anfield in November that was followed the next day by a training camp altercation while they were on England duty.
“We tried to play football, taking risks,” Guardiola said, “because they are the best team I ever faced in my life with high pressing, it is incredible how fast they are, how quick they play.”
While Klopp defended his players after the defeat, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho was quick to assign blame after a 3-1 loss at Sheffield United in yesterday’s other game.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane thought he had immediately cancelled out Sander Berge’s opener in the first half but Lucas Moura was then penalised by the video assistant referee for handling in the build-up to the goal. But the Brazilian touched the ball only after he appeared to be fouled and fell to the ground.
“We’re going in a direction that’s really bad for the beautiful game,” Mourinho said, “the game that everybody fell in love with.”
Still, Mourinho did not want his players using that as an excuse.
“We have to be mentally stronger,” he said, “to cope.”