Liverpool marching toward Premier League title after statement win at Man City
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Can anyone stop Liverpool’s march toward the Premier League title?
Not Manchester City, that’s for sure.
With a 2-0 win at the home of the four-time defending champion on Sunday, Liverpool produced a statement performance to move 11 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the standings.
“Special” was how Mohamed Salah described the latest victory that left the away fans chanting ”We’re gonna win the league” after the final whistle.
City manager Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, accepted the title was now Liverpool’s to lose.
First-half goals from Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai put Arne Slot’s team on course for a win that leaves it in command of the title race after 27 games. Liverpool is now 20 points above fourth-placed City after completing a league double over Guardiola’s once all-conquering team.
While Slot tried to dampen title talk with months still remaining of the campaign, Liverpool’s advantage is undeniable.
“What we do know is that no one saw us as a title contender when we started in the beginning of the season. And I think no one in the world of football would have expected City not to be so close to the one that leads the league,” the Dutch coach said.
This was City’s eighth defeat in the league this season and 14th overall. The most games City had lost under Guardiola in any of his previous eight seasons was 12 in the 2019-20 campaign, which was the last time it failed to win the title.
Then, as now, it was Liverpool that led the way, and the Merseyside club looks likely to win a record-equaling 20th league title this year.
City, meanwhile, faces a fight to secure a top-four finish and a return to next season’s Champions League. It is above fifth-placed Newcastle on goal difference and just two points ahead of Aston Villa in eighth.
Title charge
Arsenal’s surprise 1-0 loss to West Ham on Saturday had given Liverpool the opportunity to strengthen its grip on the title race.
And the visitors quickly took control at the Etihad through Salah’s deflected effort from a well-worked corner routine in the 14th minute. It was his 30th goal of an outstanding campaign.
He turned provider in the 37th to set up Szoboszlai, whose low shot wrong-footed City goalkeeper Ederson and rolled into the bottom corner.
City, without the injured Erling Haaland, rarely looked like getting back into the match, with Omar Marmoush’s disallowed goal for offside the closest the home team came to scoring.
“Now you’re gonna believe us,” chanted Liverpool’s fans.
“The fans can sing whatever they want. I think they sing it quite long (time) already, but we know as a team how hard we have to work for every single win,” Slot said.
City slump
Another humbling defeat in an ever-worsening season for City.
On Wednesday a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid sent Guardiola’s team crashing out of the Champions League. Back to domestic matters on Sunday and City was powerless to slow down Liverpool’s title charge.
The FA Cup is now the only realistic trophy available to City this season, while Champions League qualification is the priority for a team that has dominated English soccer under Guardiola.
“If it doesn’t happen it’s because we were not good enough, not because a lack of hunger and desire,” Guardiola said. “It is so tight with four or five teams and Nottingham, Newcastle, Aston Villa are so good. It will not be easy but we will try.”
City went into this season having won an unprecedented four English league titles in a row. Under Guardiola it has won six of the last seven.
In total, he has won 15 major trophies at the club, including the Champions League as part of a treble in 2023.
Seven-goal thriller
Newcastle scored four goals in 11 minutes against Nottingham Forest, but still had to withstand a late fightback to seal a 4-3 win.
A first-half goal spree — including two more for Alexander Isak — gave Newcastle a 4-1 lead at the break at St James’ Park.
But Forest, which had led after six minutes, mounted a comeback that provided a nervous finale.
The win moved Newcastle up to fifth and boosted its hopes of a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
Third-placed Forest led through Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opener in the sixth.
But Newcastle powered back with Lewis Miley’s goal in the 23rd sparking a remarkable spree.
Jacob Murphy put the home team ahead two minutes later and Isak struck from the penalty spot in the 33rd.
A minute later Isak scored his second to take his total for the season to 21. The Sweden striker is level with Erling Haaland on 19 league goals and only Mohamed Salah, with 24, has scored more this season.
Forest’s fightback began in the 63rd through Nikola Milenkovic and in the 90th, Ryan Yates pulled the score back to 4-3.
The defeat was Forest’s third in its last four games in the league and saw it miss out on the chance to move to within three points of second-placed Arsenal.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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