Liverpool took full advantage of their opportunity to extend their lead over defending Premier League champions Manchester City, securing a convincing 2-0 victory at Anfield. The highly anticipated matchup between the two title rivals delivered plenty of drama, with Gakpo firing the hosts into an early lead.
City, already reeling from a poor run of form, could have easily found themselves further behind. Virgil van Dijk’s header from a free-kick rattled the post, and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, chosen over Ederson, was forced to save twice from Dominik Szoboszlai. Liverpool dominated throughout, outplaying their visitors in every department. Trent Alexander-Arnold also came close to scoring, hitting the post again, while his precise distribution was causing chaos in City’s midfield, which was missing the suspended Rodri.
As the second half unfolded, City’s woes deepened. Liverpool’s high tempo and incisive counterattacks kept City under constant pressure. Gakpo nearly doubled his tally when set up by a brilliant pass from Andy Robertson, but Matheus Nunes made a crucial last-ditch tackle to deny him.
Salah then had an opportunity to put the game beyond doubt after a disastrous mix-up between City’s Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji left him with a clear path to goal. However, he fired wide when one-on-one with Ortega. It didn’t matter in the end, as Salah sealed the victory by confidently converting a penalty awarded after Ortega fouled Luis Diaz. It was a fitting way to cap off an impressive performance from Liverpool, who were dominant from start to finish.
