The Paul Gorst verdict from the Etihad Stadium as defending champions Liverpool go down to a miserable 3-0 defeat to Manchester City
As the two giant Etihad screens played a video created to mark Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management shortly before kick-off, the Liverpool fans stationed in the away end paid little attention. As the best bits of the Catalan coach’s career were beamed all around the ground, the match-going Reds entertained themselves by launching into a medley of terrace anthems in an effort to distract from the viewing.
That was about as much fun as they had all afternoon as Liverpool slumped to a miserable 3-0 loss against Manchester City, their fifth of the season no less.
Perhaps it was always destined to end like this? On Guardiola’s big day, one of the most influential and successful football managers of the 21st century was treated to a sublime performance from his players. The Reds’ role was reduced to a walk-on part and their attempts to spoil the party fell decidedly flat.
The champions were deservedly beaten and the feel-good factor created by back-to-back victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid has now been deflated. Instead, Arne Slot heads into a second successive international break tasked with picking up the pieces and sifting through the wreckage.
Arsenal’s Sunderland stumble on Saturday night offered these two heavyweights the chance to make ground on the early pace-setters but Slot’s side now trail Mikel Arteta’s by men eight points. It is looking increasingly like a two-horse race, even before the Christmas decorations have been fetched from the garages on Merseyside. It could be a meek relinquishing of their title on this evidence.
In a first half where Liverpool were a distant second, City had a penalty when the marauding Jeremy Doku, who gave Conor Bradley a tough examination, was judged to have been fouled by Giorgi Mamardashvili en route to goal after a mistake from Ibrahima Konate.
Erling Haaland was denied by Mamardashvili from 12 yards but the Norwegian goal machine would not be thwarted again. After Matheus Nunes was given all the time in the world to pick his spot, the Portugal international planted a cross on the head of the Premier League’s top goalscorer, whose effort gave the goalkeeper no chance. It was his 14th of the league campaign.
The powerful City No.9 was too much for Konate all game and with Doku having a blistering outing, the hosts had their second on the cusp of half time. It was avoidable from a Reds perspective, however.
Having been made to batten down the hatches, the wise thing for Mamardashvili – deep into stoppage time – would have been to have held the ball and run down the clock.
Instead, his throw to Mohamed Salah was high and unhelpful and City were allowed to bring it back down the field as a result, eventually scoring from a second corner of the sequence when Nico Gonzalez’s effort beat the keeper via a deflection off Virgil van Dijk.
It was a naive piece of play from the stand-in Mamardashvili, who displayed zero game-management in his efforts to counter-attack in the dying embers of a chastening half.
Before that, Liverpool were denied an equaliser from captain Van Dijk, whose header sailed past Gianluigi Donnarumma only to see the offside flag raised against Andy Robertson. The Italian goalkeeper was never going to get near the header but it was chalked off as the second of two marginal calls went against the visitors after the penalty decision.
Liverpool were unable to play through City’s suffocating press and too many weren’t brave enough in possession, which allowed the the home team to continue with wave after wave of attacks, particularly down their left-hand side.
Doku deservedly had his goal when he jinked inside Konate before firing beautifully past Mamardashvili following the break and after Bradley had picked up his sixth caution of the season across all competitions in a cynical attempt to halt the flying Belgian, that particular tussle became even more of a mismatch.
Bradley has had an excellent few days against Villa and Madrid, but this was a step too far against the almost unique talents of Doku, particularly in this sort of form. The Northern Ireland international was replaced for Joe Gomez late on.
Florian Wirtz’s afternoon lasted 83 minutes and it was one to forget for the Germany international. The attacking midfielder took a big stride forward in his Liverpool career on Tuesday night against Real Madrid but he was once more overpowered back on domestic duty, unable to make an impact beyond two nice bits of skill that earned bookings for Gonzalez and Bernardo Silva.
The £116m man still seems to be surprised at how intense and quick the game is at the sharp end of English football.
The time afforded to him on the ball while in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen simply won’t be given to him in the Premier League and it’s no coincidence his more encouraging displays have been in the Champions League.
Alexander Isak, who was back in the match-day squad for the first time October 22, was left in reserve. With the game gone at 3-0, there seemed little point risking the Sweden international after a groin issue. His time will come but he once more heads off to international camp with the same conversations around getting him up to speed being had three months into his Anfield career.
Getting him fit and firing on the other side of the break is imperative now. The lack of output has been understandable to this point but Slot cannot have a £125m striker who isn’t able to contribute.
City looked like yesterday’s men on Slot’s first visit here as Reds boss in February, but this reworked version appears ready and equipped to challenge at the top of the Premier League for the duration of this campaign.
How much of a genuine say Liverpool will have in that conversation will become clear before the end of the calendar year. They need to be almost flawless from here on out.
Credit: www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
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