Liverpool added to the misery of Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions for the past four seasons, edging closer to snatching the title with a 2-0 victory on Sunday in the 13th round of the English Premier League. <\/p>
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At Anfield, the Reds continued their sensational season under their new Dutch manager, Arne Slot, securing their seventh consecutive win across all competitions and their 11th in the league. They now lead the table with 34 points, nine points ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea, while City slipped from second to fifth place, trailing Brighton on goal difference after suffering their fourth defeat. <\/p>
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This is the first time Liverpool has held such a commanding lead at the top since the final round of the 2019-2020 season when they claimed their 18th league title and first since 1990.<\/p>
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In the midst of this resounding victory, where he played a pivotal role by assisting the first goal and scoring the second, Liverpool\u2019s Egyptian star Mohamed Salah captured attention with his post-match comments to Sky Sports. \"The crowd was behind us from the first minute. I\u2019m happy we won the game,\" Salah remarked. <\/p>
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Having recently revealed that he has yet to receive a contract renewal offer, Salah spoke about the emotions of playing at Anfield: \"It\u2019s very special. I don\u2019t take it lightly. I enjoy every moment here. I feel at home. It\u2019s always special to score at Anfield and win games.\"<\/p>
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Regarding his contract situation, Salah added: \"Honestly, it\u2019s on my mind. As things stand (with no updates), this could be my last game at Anfield against City in a Liverpool shirt, and I\u2019ll savor it\u2026 We hope to win the league, and then we\u2019ll see what happens.\"<\/p>
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Unlike Liverpool, who also lead their unified Champions\u2019 League group after a midweek 2-0 win over reigning champions Real Madrid, City\u2019s struggles continue. Pep Guardiola\u2019s side is enduring its worst spell under the Spanish manager, who for the first time in his career has suffered five consecutive defeats before drawing 3-3 with Feyenoord in midweek, having squandered a 3-0 lead in the Champions League. <\/p>
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This marks the first time City has lost four straight league matches since Guardiola\u2019s arrival in 2016 and the first since August 2008 under then-manager Mark Hughes.<\/p>
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Liverpool fully deserved the victory, dominating especially in the first half, which began with a header from Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk striking the post in the 11th minute. Moments later, Cody Gakpo opened the scoring after a long pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold found Salah, who provided the assist for the Dutchman (12'). <\/p>
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Van Dijk was again denied by the woodwork with another header (19\u2019), as was Alexander-Arnold (34'), keeping the score 1-0 at halftime. Liverpool started the second half strongly with two golden chances, one for Gakpo, who hesitated, allowing Matheus Nunes to intervene (51'), and another for Salah, who blasted over the bar (56').<\/p>
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City improved but lacked a real threat on goalkeeper Caoimh\u00edn Kelleher\u2019s goal, and they paid the price when Liverpool scored their second goal from a counterattack. Colombian winger Luis D\u00edaz was fouled by German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, earning a penalty that Salah converted (78'), bringing his tally to 11 league goals this season. This marked the 36th time Salah has both scored and assisted in the same match, equaling Wayne Rooney\u2019s record, according to Opta.<\/p>","continue_text":"Continue Reading","main_heading":"Blog"},"yoast_head":"\n