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Will someone stop Manchester City now? With the sky blue monster in historical form, it feels extremely unlikely. This was a day when Ilkay Gündogan recovered from a missed first-half penalty to score twice, Raheem Sterling found the net at Anfield for the first time since trading Liverpool for City in 2015 and Phil Foden embellished both the Marker as a wonderful individual performance with an emphatic late ending.
It means that City have made the light of day clear between them and their closest rival Manchester United (the lead is five points with one game in hand) and one thing was for sure: as City only enjoyed their second League win here in 30 visits, Liverpool’s defense of their title that they won so convincingly last season seems over.
Jürgen Klopp’s team is 10 points behind City, after having played one more game, and it was an occasion when a defense that was subjected to so much adversity and bad luck this season collapsed.
Unusually it was Alisson, back from illness, who made the most blatant mistakes, the ones that tipped the second half away from his team after they drew on a Mohamed Salah penalty. But each of the four players in front of him was beaten too easily at various points during a performance characterized by laziness.
Alisson is usually so calm with the ball at these feet, his distribution is one of the factors that distinguish him as the complete goalkeeper of today, but he has misdirected not once but twice. How City made him and Liverpool pay.
He had entertained in possession outside his area in the 73rd minute, putting his team in trouble, only for them to punt. But after City pushed and the ball came back to him, he gave a pass to Foden, who offered a glimpse of the quick feet and drive that have made him the great young hope of the England team.
Foden had too much for Jordan Henderson, who again played in central defense alongside Fabinho, another midfielder by trade. Klopp had decided that his two specialist central defensive signings, Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies, who arrived on Monday, weren’t ready to play. Foden turned Henderson around and his cut found Gündogan, who scored his second, 2-1.
Alisson’s nightmare was not over. Moments later, with Liverpool living on the edge in the jaws of the City press, he accepted a back pass from Gini Wijnaldum and jabbed Bernardo Silva, who advanced from right to left before floating the perfect cross to Sterling on the second suit. . Sterling enjoyed the header into the empty net, perhaps aware of how he has struggled here since his transfer, and Liverpool broke down.
Foden, who played most of the game as a false nine, was not finished. He had been prominent on Gündogan’s first goal early in the second half and now he made a cross pass, got inside Andy Roberton and launched a strong shot high into the net. It was too hot for Alisson to handle it and it sent Liverpool to a third consecutive league loss at Anfield for the first time since 1963. What he did for his defending title was more significant.
For City, it’s 10 consecutive wins in the league and 14 in all competitions, which have only been achieved by two top-level clubs: Preston in 1892 and Arsenal in 1987.
Klopp had described his team as mentally and physically fatigued after last Wednesday’s home loss to Brighton, but they overshadowed a slow first half. Sadio Mané missed a gold-headed opportunity off a Curtis Jones cross and Roberto Firmino worked Ederson from afar.
City threatened just once before the break, when Sterling cut inside Trent Alexander-Arnold and then threw Fabinho with a step. The Liverpool player slowed his career slightly and there was contact with Sterling, although the penalty still felt a bit soft. Gündogan raised his kick over the crossbar.
It was tempting to ask where the fireworks were. Well, they came in the 47th minute, literally with a display behind the Kop, presumably by a group of Liverpool fans. They hit high in the afternoon sky, but it was City who started the game shortly after.
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Sterling once again cut inside Alexander-Arnold and the other Liverpool defenders were watching the ball when he slipped a pass to Foden, who quickly unloaded. Alisson blocked, but Gündogan, who has become just another presence in the penalty area this season, was available to crash at home.
Liverpool grabbed a lifeline after John Stones deflected a shot from Jones past the far post. It was a rare mistake by Rúben Dias that allowed Salah to get into goal and when he grabbed it, he invited the forward to go down, which he did. It was another gentle, albeit correct decision. Salah was converted with power.
But City had just started and, after the Stones saw a goal disallowed for offside from a whipped Foden delivery, they turned Alisson around. For the sixth time to ask, Pep Guardiola has won at Anfield. A far more remarkable achievement looms.
