Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER CITY: BIG MATCH FACTS
THERE are two flames which burn eternally on either side of Liverpool’s club crest – but this freezing Mersey evening was the night the fire went out on their title defence.
Every season has a defining moment and this was surely one. Jurgen Klopp’s side have passed their crown back to Manchester City, who will surely soon be celebrating another Premier League triumph.
It is impossible to see who will stop them now, after 10 straight league wins. If their rivals were hoping Liverpool would at least
Liverpool are the first side to lose
slow their march, they were sadly deluded. This was a shadow of the team that won the title by 18 points last term.
They were undone by a catalogue of errors summed by two awful mistakes from keeper Alisson. They use of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as emergency centre-backs robs them of the vitality of a midfield press which has so often been the undoing of City at Anfield.
Pep Guardiola had never beaten Jurgen Klopp’s team here before but this wasn’t just a victory, it was a humiliation.
And on a night of firsts, Raheem Sterling managed his first goal at Anfield since he, three straight home league matches the season after winning the English top-flight since Chelsea did so almost 65 years ago, back in March 1956. rather acrimoniously, left. But if Sterling was an undoubted influence, then Ilkay Gundogan was the star of the night. His breathless running from midfield showed the almost superhuman fitness of City, who simply had too much in their legs for Klopp’s devastated side.
The Germany international would have had a hat-trick but for a penalty miss in the first half.
He blazed his kick so high that
City’s Raheem Sterling is only the third player to score 100+ goals in all competitions under Pep Guardiola in his top-flight managerial career, after Lionel Messi (211) at Barcelona and Sergio Aguero (120) also at City.
Guardiola’s face told a story of almost murderous intent.
Gundogan atoned for his error with two pivotal goals.
The first started down City’s left-hand side as Sterling skipped easily – too easily – past Trent Alexanderarnold, just as he had done to win the earlier penalty.
This time he elected to pass rather than take on the next defender, giving Phil Foden a perfect chance which Alisson did brilliantly to save. But Gundogan reacted quickest to ram home the follow-up.
Even if Klopp’s side had looked devoid of the energy to match a team who had clearly been so well prepared by their manager, they still had chances.
But they needed a rare error from Ruben Dias to level.
The defender, after gifting the ball to Mo Salah, then tugged him back for a 63rd-minute penalty which the Egyptian converted. It was to signal no revival for the Reds, though.
Two appalling mistakes from