It was all about which of those rivals may capitalise on Arsenal's draw at Sunderland on Saturday, who may make a press release about their intention to chase down the Premier League leaders? It was Manchester Metropolis who cleared their throats and made it plain that they're on this race for the lengthy haul. Liverpool barely received a phrase in.
The desk seems to be much more interesting for Pep Guardiola and his gamers now, Metropolis solely 4 factors behind Arsenal, and it was an event after they blew Liverpool away. They might shrug off the inconvenience of Erling Haaland lacking a controversially awarded Thirteenth-minute penalty to placed on a present of power, significantly within the first half.
It was Haaland, inevitably, who opened the scoring together with his nineteenth Metropolis aim of the season and, after Nico González had benefited from a deflection off Virgil van Dijk in first-half stoppage time, the scene was set for the coup de grace.
Jérémy Doku was virtually unplayable, a blur of methods and direct working and his aim for 3-0 was a magnificence, a fast transfer inside earlier than the superbly executed roller together with his proper foot into the far nook. He merited the ovation he received when he was substituted in direction of the tip.
Liverpool cried foul over two selections – each pushed by the video assistant referee, Michael Oliver. They received away with the penalty when Giorgi Mamardashvili stored out Haaland's kick however the sickener was when Van Dijk had a header for 1-1 dominated out after a nook. Andy Robertson was in an offside place near Gianluigi Donnarumma and it mattered not that the Metropolis goalkeeper appeared unlikely to make the save. It was an actual letter of the regulation name.
It was not the explanation why Liverpool misplaced. Metropolis had been slicker and extra incisive; they carried the larger bodily menace, too. It was troublesome to not worry that Liverpool's title defence has ended right here and never solely as a result of they path Arsenal by eight factors. It was the style through which they fell to a fourth away league defeat in succession for the primary time since 2012. There had been no little fanfare after their midweek Champions League win over Actual Madrid. They had been again. Not on this proof.
Guardiola was lauded for his 1,000th recreation as a supervisor beforehand, Metropolis screening an prolonged and effusive tribute to him on the large display, and it was then on to attempting to unpick one other of his tactical setups. As a result of the fluency, the positional interchanges of his midfielders, was actually one thing.
Metropolis introduced depth from the primary whistle, Doku marauding from the left, popping up throughout. Bernardo Silva sat alongside González one minute and pushed excessive or extensive the following. He would management the tempo. Guardiola persistently appeared to have the additional man in midfield. Nico O'Reilly brought on issues from left-back when he was not doing a defensive quantity on Mohamed Salah.
The touchpaper was lit by the penalty determination, the referee, Chris Kavanagh, suggested by Oliver to check the replays of the second when Doku appeared to bulldoze via Ibrahima Konaté earlier than slicing again from the byline and seeing Mamardashvili come flying out at him. The contact was minimal – a type of the place you needed to look very exhausting from a particular angle to find it – and, if it was technically there, it didn't disguise the fact that the award was delicate.
Metropolis didn't relent after Mamardashvili's save. Doku shimmered with menace. It was the talents, the tempo, the power; the entire package deal. Rayan Cherki had a shot blocked by Konaté and the breakthrough had been marketed. Liverpool had been at risk of being run off the pitch. It was exceptional to see what number of one-on-one duels they misplaced earlier than the interval; how they plodded with out inspiration.
Haaland's aim for 1-0 was unusual, albeit the buildup was pretty. Konaté appeared to get a little bit flick to Matheus Nunes's cross from the correct with Haaland airborne behind him. However the striker nonetheless managed to loop the header again into the nook of the online. How a lot did he learn about it? Then once more, it was Haaland.
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Slot raged on the touchline when the Van Dijk lifeline was snuffed out – the Liverpool captain bullied Nunes to thump dwelling his header – and the wound was salted when González tried his luck from distance. The ball simply needed to take a decisive flick off Van Dijk.
Slot had caught together with his back-to-basics strategy, the identical lineup – broadly – that he performed within the victories in opposition to Aston Villa and Actual that had given Liverpool optimism within the buildup. The important thing element was that it was the midfield three from the title-winning season final day trip, with Florian Wirtz on the left of the entrance three. Wirtz had a couple of sparkles, Metropolis having to resort to some roughhouse stuff to cease him.
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Liverpool pushed after the restart. They had been higher, even when the bar was low. Ryan Gravenberch virtually launched Salah, Rúben Dias compelled right into a saving problem as Donnarumma made a reckless bolt from his space. González almost put via his personal aim whereas Cody Gakpo, on as an alternative to the nameless Hugo Ekitiké, blazed over when effectively positioned.
Doku stored coming. He loved himself, the alarm bells ringing for Liverpool at any time when he received on the ball. His aim was the showstopper. Dominik Szoboszlai would work Donnarumma with a piledriver whereas Salah touched narrowly extensive of the far nook in a one-on-one. The sport was lengthy since over.
