Man City 4 – 1 Liverpool

Manchester City came from behind to dismantle Liverpool 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium and maintain the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s title challenge looked to be hanging by a thread when Mohamed Salah gave the away side an early lead but Julian Alvarez equalised before second-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish saw City surge to victory.

The win narrowed the gap on Arsenal to five points at the full-time whistle and offered a timely reminder that Guardiola’s team remain a potent force even without their top scorer Erling Haaland, who was watching – and cheering – his team-mates from the stands.

How Man City turned it around

Manchester City started brightly, controlling possession with John Stones alongside Rodri in midfield, but Liverpool’s threat on the counter-attack was obvious. Salah was ruthless in exposing the City defence with a fine finish after Diogo Jota sprung the offside trap.

Salah was through again soon after but it proved to be the pivotal moment in the match. Grealish intercepted his centre and was back down the other end moments later providing the assist for Alvarez’s equaliser, the culmination of a sumptuous City move.

It was a big moment for the Argentine, taking responsibility for leading the line in Haaland’s absence, and it felt like a big moment in the title race too.

These two teams have so often been contesting that title in recent seasons, but Liverpool’s struggles did not take the edge off this one – duels between Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manuel Akanji and Jordan Henderson, adding to the sense of occasion.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, their form does not match that competitive spirit and the game soon went away from them in the second half. It took De Bruyne just 53 seconds to put City in front after Alvarez found Mahrez in space out wide with a brilliant pass.

Alvarez was involved in the third too, his left-footed shot blocked near the line by Alexander-Arnold but only as far as Gundogan. The skipper had enough time to pick his spot and ease the tension around the Etihad Stadium. City never relinquished control.

All that remained was for Grealish to score himself, slotting beyond Alisson after collecting De Bruyne’s pass inside. The gap to Arsenal remains significant, but so too is the quality of the reigning champions. Their hopes of a treble remain. Liverpool are clinging to sixth.

Liverpool’s struggles in stats

• Liverpool have lost eight Premier League away games this season – it’s their most in a single season since 2014-15 and as many as they lost on the road in their three previous campaigns combined.
• Liverpool lost when scoring first in a Premier League match for the first time since February 2021. They had been unbeaten in 44 such games before today, winning the last 22 in a row.
• Liverpool have conceded 30 Premier League goals against Man City under Jurgen Klopp, 11 more than they have against any other opponent.
• They had just four shots in this match, their fewest in a single Premier League game since September 2011.

What’s next?

This was the start of an immensely busy April that will see Manchester City compete in eight more matches across three competitions.

Next up is a trip to Southampton next Saturday, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 5.30pm. Then their Champions League quarter-final ties against Bayern Munich come either side of a home game with Leicester City, which is also live on Sky Sports on April 15.

The FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield United comes four days before a potential title-deciding clash with Arsenal, before a trip to Fulham in front of the Sky Sports cameras rounds off a busy week.

Meanwhile, you can watch four out of Liverpool‘s next six games on Sky Sports – including their next two matches away at Chelsea on Tuesday night and against Arsenal in eight days’ time. Trips to Leeds and West Ham, as well as home games with Tottenham and Nottingham Forest are on Jurgen Klopp’s agenda.