TITLE RACE IS ALL OVER BAR THE ROUTING
PREMIER LEAGUE
CHAmpIOnS of Europe. Champions of the world. Surely now the coveted champions of England crown is just around the corner.
Jurgen Klopp’s men put on a masterclass to crush closest rivals Leicester as their 30-year wait for the domestic title looks to be well and truly over.
It would take a collapse of epic proportions and that does not look likely, not after a romp that saw them race 13 points clear.
And that is with a game in hand over Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes.
Leicester had rallied briefly after the break with only Roberto Firmino’s 31st-minute header separating the sides.
Then came a three-goal blitz in the space of seven second-half minutes as James Milner, Firmino and Trent AlexanderArnold showed the Premier League pack their irresistible ruthless streak.
Wing-back AlexanderArnold said: “Obviously you don’t think you are going to be 13 points ahead. But we are happy to be in this position.
“We are not going to take it for granted, the season is not over.
“We are going to try to push that advantage to the most we can because we have seen in this league anything can happen.”
When Firmino finally cracked the Foxes open it was certainly no surprise – and definitely no more than they deserved.
In fact Alexander-Arnold
BY a really good side.” His skipper Schmeichel said: “We were in the game until the referee had to make himself a hero.
“From then on we lost our composure – they are the best team in the world at the moment.
“But it is important for us not to lose sight of the big picture. We’re very early into our journey.”
Schmeichel was not wrong about City’s composure going missing. Three minutes after he picked the ball out of his net,he had to do so again.
Firmino had his fourth goal in three games, starting and finishing a move that saw Alexander-Arnold find him with a piercing low delivery.
It was then Alexander-Arnold himself who rubbed salt into Leicester’s gaping wounds in the 78th minute with a first-time strike from the edge of the area.
The defender added: “We played really good football, especially after all of the travelling and intensity of the games.
“If you take that into account then yes it is probably our best game of the season.”
As for his boss, Klopp knows a testing fixture list – starting with Wolves on Sunday – awaits.
He said: “With all the things around us and what people talk about, the biggest quality of the boys is we are not listening really.
“We are completely focused on what we have to do.
“I never want to have a party without a reason.”
DAVID ARMITAGE AT THE KING POWER