Big clash between top two is a damp squib as City stroll it
Manchester City gave Liverpool a belated reminder of their power as they thrashed their newly-crowned successors as Premier League champions 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
The inspirational Kevin De Bruyne began the rout from the penalty spot with Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden also on target before an Alex Oxladechamberlain own goal.
Riyad Mahrez thought he had claimed a fifth for City in stoppage time but his strike was ruled out for handball by Foden.
It an unexpectedly crushing and sobering defeat for the Merseysiders in their first match since dethroning City and claiming their first title in 30 years last week.
After receiving a guard of honour from their hosts, Liverpool started brightly and hit a post early on through Mohamed Salah but it was almost all one-way traffic thereafter, with City making light of the 23-point difference between the sides.
After losing only one other match all season and their long-term goal achieved, Liverpool could perhaps be allowed an off-night. For City, however, with their everdemanding manager Pep Guardiola targeting more trophies, their season is still very much alive – and it showed.
Meanwhile, Spurs head coach Jose Mourinho says he fears for the future of football after his side were on the wrong end of one of the most controversial VAR decisions of the season in a 3-1 loss at Sheffield United.
Spurs were trailing to Sander Berge’s opener when Harry Kane converted two minutes later, only for VAR referee Michael Oliver to spot a handball by Lucas Moura in the build-up. Contact by Moura as he fell was minimal at best, but the goal was chalked off and Spurs were not even afforded a free-kick.
They let that sense of injustice affect them as the Blades regained their verve from earlier in the season, with Lys Mousset and Oli Mcburnie adding further second-half goals.
Kane did get on the scoresheet at the death, but Spurs’ defeat leaves their Champions League hopes in tatters, sitting seven points off Wolves and Manchester
United.
Mourinho fears that VAR and the people using it are ruining football.
“I cannot say anything because I’d be in trouble with the institutions and I want to protect myself and my club so I can’t be open as I’d like to 2 Phil Foden finishes off a slick Manchester City move by firing past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson to put his side 3-0 up moments before halftime. be,” he said. “Now, I can only say that normally I’m a professional guy on the bench in these moments, I never complain at the guy with the whistle because it’s not the referee any more.
“I used to go the fourth official but the man on the pitch is the assistant referee. Today the man and the lady with the flags are the assistant of the assistant referee. This is the start of everything.
“I think the referee should always be the man on the pitch and the people in the office should just support and assist.
“That’s not the way it is. The referee who is not very good on the pitch, we cannot expect that he’s good in the office. We’re going in a direction that’s really bad for the beautiful game, the game that everybody fell in love with.”