Liverpool opened up a nine-point lead on the prime of the Premier League as Manchester Metropolis’s disaster deepened in a 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday.
Cody Gakpo’s Twelfth-minute aim was scant reward for the Reds’ first-half domination and so they sealed an 18th win in 20 video games beneath Arne Slot due to Mohamed Salah’s penalty.
Metropolis are actually 11 factors off the runaway leaders down in fifth and winless in seven video games, together with six defeats.
Arsenal and Chelsea are Liverpool’s closest challengers as Metropolis seem set to lose their crown as English champions after profitable an unprecedented 4 consecutive titles.
Metropolis’s solely level since October 26 even felt like a defeat as they blew a 3-0 lead within the ultimate quarter-hour to attract 3-3 with Feyenoord within the Champions League in midweek.
Pep Guardiola responded by dropping goalkeeper Ederson, whereas Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias had been additionally restored to the defence.
However there was no response from the defending champions as they had been blown away within the opening phases.
Stefan Ortega was compelled into positive saves from Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai earlier than Virgil van Dijk crashed a header off the publish.
Metropolis may barely get out of their half within the opening quarter and the aim duly arrived when Gakpo bundled in Salah’s engaging cross to the again publish.
Van Dijk powered one other huge headed likelihood inches broad as the probabilities continued to come back for Liverpool.
Even throughout Metropolis’s most interesting seasons beneath Guardiola, they’ve struggled to comprise the facility of the Anfield crowd.
Metropolis’s solely away win towards Liverpool since 2003 stays behind closed doorways in the course of the coronavirus-impacted 2021/22 season.
Guardiola’s males did no less than handle to stem the bleeding by lastly protecting some possession in the direction of the tip of the primary half and Rico Lewis prodded their first try on aim simply broad.
Metropolis began the second interval extra positively, however ought to nonetheless have been punished a number of instances on the counter-attack.
Firstly, Ortega rushed off his line to dam after Gakpo was performed in by an outstanding Andy Robertson go.
Salah then skewed a one-on-one with the German goalkeeper over the bar to the consternation of a lot of the 60,000 crowd.
One other turnover deep inside their very own half lastly value Metropolis the decisive second aim.
Luis Diaz robbed Walker and surged by means of earlier than he was introduced down by Ortega.
Salah had fired broad from the spot in Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League win over Actual Madrid.
This time the Egyptian discovered the underside nook for his thirteenth aim of the season to spherical off Liverpool’s dream week.
Guardiola emptied Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne off the bench within the second half in the hunt for a lifeline.
Nonetheless, Metropolis’s reliance on Erling Haaland for objectives was once more evident as he was marked out of the sport by Van Dijk, who had been imperious till a late lapse of focus ought to have gifted Metropolis a comfort.
He offered the ball to De Bruyne, however he couldn’t beat the in-form Caoimhin Kelleher.
Guardiola was taunted with chants of “you are getting sacked within the morning” within the closing phases.
The Metropolis boss responded by displaying six fingers, one for every of his Premier League title wins prior to now seven seasons.
However like his aspect, Guardiola resides on recollections of what they’ve been as Liverpool already look out of sight for Metropolis this season.
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