Liverpool beat Man City at Etihad

Liverpool only had 34% possession and half as many shots as Man City but still convincingly beat the defending champions. Goals from Salah and Szoboszlai in the first half gave the leaders a big advantage and proactive defense in the second half. Man City, missing Erling Haaland, constantly changed their attack but failed to score, accepting a 20-point deficit after round 26.

Man City are determined to bounce back after being eliminated by Real in the Champions League play-off round. Pep Guardiola and his team entered the match with enthusiasm in the big match against Liverpool, putting pressure on the visitors from the start.

But Liverpool calmly responded and opened the scoring in the 14th minute. After Szoboszlai's pass, Salah finished the ball off Nathan Ake's foot, changing direction, leaving goalkeeper Ederson helpless. The goal gave Salah his 21st goal in just 20 Premier League matches.

Man City's Haaland-less attack still created great pressure, thanks to the mobility of Jeremy Doku and new signing Omar Marmoush. The striker transferred from Frankfurt put the ball in the visitors' net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Liverpool did not attack much but made the most of the opportunities they had in the first 45 minutes. Their strongest attack managed to hit the target twice in the first half, creating two goals. In the 38th minute, Salah broke the offside trap, beat Josko Gvardiol, then returned the favor and set up Szoboszlai to finish from the edge of the penalty area, putting the visitors two goals ahead.

While Salah shone with his 11th goal and assist of the season, Kevin De Bruyne was lackluster on the other side and was the first substitute for Man City. The match could have been decided in the 57th minute, if Curtis Jones' goal had not been ruled out for Szoboszlai's offside.

Since then, Liverpool have actively retreated to defend to protect their results. Marmoush was still the most aggressive player on the home side, but the Egyptian player could not beat Alisson. Man City tried every way but still could not penetrate Liverpool's dense defense, accepting a humiliating defeat right at Etihad.

For the first time since taking charge at Man City, Guardiola has seen his players lose to Liverpool at home. Man City have lost 14 of their last 27 games, conceding 51 goals. 51 is also the number of goals that Salah has scored for Liverpool in all competitions this season (30 goals, 21 assists).

The win helped Liverpool stay unbeaten for 23 consecutive matches in the league, widening the gap with second-placed Arsenal to 11 points. Man City, with a 0-2 defeat, are 20 points behind Liverpool but still in the top 4. However, Pep Guardiola's team have been caught up by Newcastle in terms of points. They are also only one point ahead of Bournemouth and Chelsea.