Liverpool came out to an Anfield roar. It was commotion, crashing, bouncing, shaking the pitch and telling the players that this was a match for the ages.
Manchester City sidelined, dragged to a punishing defeat by an unstoppable Red force. Virgil van Dijk He rightly played down the title talk in his post-match interview, but Liverpool’s 2-0 win over the beleaguered champions opened up an 11-point gap that even the usually unbeaten City, capable of fending off bruises, surely cannot bridge.
Arsenal (and Chelsea) sit nine points behind second-placed Liverpool, and while both sides pose a threat, this was a performance for the ages, just days after Real Madrid were beaten in the Champions League.
The Anfield crowd sang and the team met them with the most impressive awe. This is beyond the city’s wildest dreams. Jurgen Klopp gone, Liverpool were heading into the bleak quagmire of an era that ended – wasn’t that the narrative?
Only, Arne slot machine he turns out to be the architect of something special, something magical. He has inherited a sparkling team, and with Mohamed Salah at the front, all the rides can be conquered before summer hits Merseyside next year.
Mohamed Salah talks on the pitch
Salah has been vocal about his contract situation of late, but that hasn’t stopped him from producing perhaps the most incredible individual campaign of his career to date – at this stage, anyway.
|
Mohamed Salah – G/A Record vs PL ‘Big Six’ |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
They will object |
Applications |
Goals |
It helps |
C/A |
|
Manchester United |
16 |
15 |
6 |
21 |
|
Man City |
22 |
12 |
7 |
19 |
|
Tottenham |
20 |
12 |
2 |
14 |
|
Arsenal |
17 |
11 |
2 |
13 |
|
Chelsea |
23 |
8 |
4 |
12 |
|
Statistics via Transfer market (all incl.) |
||||
The 32-year-old now has scored 13 goals and added 11 assists in 20 games in all competitions for Slot’s Liverpool, seemingly operating with a feverish desire to claim the biggest prizes and continue a brilliant journey.
The ultimate big-game player, Salah delivered the goods once again on Sunday, ferociously imposing on the Citizens’ weaknesses to gift a delivery for Cody Steeleof the opener, before the penalty was taken to seal the deal after the break.
Fantastic. The headline stuff, that. However, trophies are not only lifted by the brilliance of a club’s superstars. Adversity must be overcome and those out of the limelight must find trump cards to guide their team through difficult times.
The brilliant Ibrahima Konate injured against Real Madrid and may not feature again until the new year but Joe Gomez he did his thing first start of the Premier League of the season and proved (once again).
Performance in numbers
Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series brings you the latest match analysis from across Europe.
Arne Slot’s real Liverpool hero against Man City
Konate, pushed to the ground by Endrick on an otherwise joyous Wednesday afternoon, was harshly sidelined while at the height of his powers, but Gomez isn’t exactly untested in Liverpool’s bigger, trickier situations.
It thrived. Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo gave the 27-year-old an 8/10 rating, writing: “He slotted into central defense with minimal fuss and covered the right flank when needed. A good tackle on Haaland in the first half and so solid throughout.”
Erling Haaland was a shadow of his usual self, and that was largely due to Gomez’s almost innate partnership with Van Dijk, who he regularly served up during his triumphant Premier League and Champions League campaigns in his tenure days. of Klopp.
Van Dijk will take the spotlight, of course, but we have to tip our hat to this great dynamic player. He came in, stood strong against the waves of City’s pressure. Although, soft, soft waves, they really just tap the toes of Anfield. He was the most important player, in a sense, because he stood in for an irreplaceable Konate against the best team in recent memory. He ran the show.
According to SofascoreGomez won both of his duels on the night, also completing 88% of his passes and hitting four long balls, catching the eye with the sensitivity and precision of such balls, hit high and carried high on the wave Luis Diazthe charging offence.
Stand up, Liverpool. You’ve scored a pair of brilliant wins this week and the title is yours to lose. There is, however, a long old road to walk, and it is full of dangers.
Good thing the Reds have Joe Gomez, huh?
