PLENTY OF RED FACES AT THE PARTY
Liverpool are hit for four after the new champions are given a guard of honour
MANCHESTER City provided a guard of honour for Liverpool as promised then followed it with a reminder no such respect will be afforded next season.
Just a week after lifting a first title in 30 years when City were beaten at Stamford Bridge, new Premier League champions Liverpool were humbled by Pep Guardiola’s side. It was an uncharacteristically lethargic performance from Jurgen Klopp’s men and one which suggested City still have the raw materials to be the biggest obstacle to them retaining the title next year.
Kevin De Bruyne challenged geometry orchestrating all of City’s best moves and opening the scoring with a penalty.
Raheem Sterling engineered two and scored one, winning a fascinating subplot with his old adversary Joe Gomez. And perhaps most exciting of all, Phil Foden who provided another excellent performance as City took hold of the match during the first half.
This was the sort of heavy metal assault that Klopp has prided his teams on – their biggest defeat of the season.
Neither manager picked a side that offered a hiding place in the event of defeat.
Klopp picked pretty much his strongest XI – the one which thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 last week. Guardiola made four changes to the side which beat Newcastle in the FA Cup, but certainly not to weaken.
Eric Garcia got another chance to prove to Guardiola, right, he has a viable centre-half option under his nose.
The argument for Foden’s place in future plans is already won, but he kept David Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo on the bench. It said something
that after City’s third goal he had the three of them on their feet applauding.
Liverpool actually started the brighter of the two with Mohamed Salah repeatedly finding space in between City’s central pairing and striking one shot against the post.
Yet City were energised by the first drinks break and never looked back.
Sterling and Gomez have a bit of form for grappling with the pair famously coming to blows in the St George’s Park canteen on England duty last November. Last night Gomez was at it again after 25 minutes, eventually wrestling a wriggling Sterling to the ground inside the box to give away a penalty which De Bruyne despatched. Ten minutes later Foden got a perfectly waited pass to Sterling on the left side of the area. Taking one touch, the City man cut inside Gomez before hitting the ball through his legs for a second.
On the stroke of half-time City produced a third and it was a beauty with Ilkay Gundogan cutting across from the left to feed Foden who exchanged a sharp give and go with De Bruyne before slamming the ball home.
This was no way to treat champions but City were clearly feeling the same way.
And after a break during which Klopp put Gomez out of his misery, replacing him with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, City sensed blood in the water. Alisson kept out Sterling early in the second period and Foden had a shot cleared off the line before City got their fourth when Sterling’s effort was accidentally turned over the line by Oxlade-Chamberlain. The last team to lose a match after being confirmed as champions were Chelsea in May 2015.
Klopp will demand there is no repeat in the final six games for Liverpool.