Liverpool extended their lead to 11 points over defending Premier League champions Manchester City with a commanding 2-0 victory at Anfield. This result left Pep Guardiola’s side without a win in seven matches across all competitions, marking the worst run of his managerial career.
In response to City’s recent struggles, Guardiola made a change in goal, benching Ederson in favor of Stefan Ortega. The German goalkeeper was immediately busy, denying a couple of attempts from Dominik Szoboszlai early on, before Virgil van Dijk hit the post with a header from a Szoboszlai assist. The opening goal seemed inevitable, and Mohamed Salah delivered with a brilliant cross to the back post, where Cody Gakpo was on hand to bundle it home in front of the Kop.
City’s attempts to play out from the back continued to cause them problems, even after falling behind. Van Dijk wasted another opportunity with a header wide, and Gakpo fired over the bar. Though City managed to halt Liverpool’s attacking momentum for a brief period, they struggled to create any chances of their own. Their first attempt came in the 39th minute, with Rico Lewis missing the target—highlighting another difficult half for the champions.
It was the longest wait for a shot in a Premier League match for City since April 2010. While they looked slightly improved after the break, Liverpool remained the dominant side. Gakpo saw a shot blocked by Matheus Nunes, and Van Dijk wasted another header. Salah also missed a chance when he intercepted a loose pass from Bernardo Silva and found himself one-on-one with Ortega but lifted the ball over the bar.
With the match still in the balance, Liverpool sealed the win 12 minutes from time. Rúben Dias was dispossessed by Luis Díaz, who was fouled by Ortega in the box, and Salah stepped up to convert the penalty. This goal marked his 13th in his last 11 starts against City and made up for his miss against Real Madrid earlier in the week.
With this victory, Liverpool sits comfortably nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, having defeated the champions of England, Spain, and Germany at Anfield this season. City, on the other hand, find themselves outside the top four after losing their fourth consecutive league game, their worst run since August 2008.
