Five Things Learned: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City lost a fourth consecutive Premier League match via a 2-0 scoreline against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, leaving them fifth in the division.

Defeat on Merseyside also means that the four-time successive reigning Premier League champions now find themselves a staggering 11 points adrift from Arne Slot’s high-flying Liverpool side in early December.

After a slew of misplaced passes that saw the Sky Blues come under constant duress in the opening minutes, Liverpool finally took the lead in the 12th minute when Cody Gakpo got on the end of a Mohamed Salah cross.

The Egyptian forward drove into Manchester City’s penalty area before launching a ball to the far post to give the Dutch forward an easy tap-in, whilst also splitting Pep Guardiola’s entire defensive line in the process.

Most of the first-half followed the same formula: constant turnovers and a lack of physicality in midfield allowed Liverpool to pounce. Fortunately for City, the hosts continued to waste their opportunities to double their lead.

After a somewhat promising end to the first-half, City continued to show flashes of control early in the second-half. However, that control lasted only a few minutes at best and was squandered when Stefan Ortega Moreno hacked down Luis Diaz to give Liverpool a penalty.

Despite missing from the spot earlier in the week against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, Mohamed Salah was able to sneak it past Ortega to double Liverpool’s lead in the 78th minute and ultimately end the game.

Immediately following Salah’s goal, the intensity of the match dropped. City, with Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jack Grealish all now on the pitch, began to mount a few more attacks but could not get past Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

City now return back to the Etihad Stadium for their next Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday evening, but before then, here are our Five Things Learned from the loss against Liverpool at Anfield!

This was (hopefully) rock bottom

The first-half performance against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon was arguably some of the worst football Manchester City have played under Pep Guardiola since his arrival all the way back in the summer of 2016.

The opening 45 minutes on Merseyside was reminiscent of the match last December away to Aston Villa, which saw Manchester City somehow only lose 1-0, while being outshot 22-2 in the process.

That was the low point for the Sky Blues, who quickly recovered to kickstart their trademarked mid-season run of victories.

While it is doubtful this current City side is capable of that kind of turnaround, the few brief moments of control at Anfield shows that there is still quality in this aged and injury-riddled Pep Guardiola side.

Jack Grealish’s future might be midfield

While Sunday afternoon was not the first time we have seen Jack Grealish play a few minutes in a midfield role for City, this certainly was the best competition he has faced while taking up that position.

Pep Guardiola hinted that Grealish may be getting more minutes there in the coming games. “I’m thinking Jack Grealish in the middle can help us to have that control and vision into the final third,” he told reporters after the match at Anfield.

With both Jeremy Doku and Savinho now back from their respective injury problems, there are a slew of wide options for Pep Guardiola all of a sudden, with only a few central midfielders currently fully fit.

Jeremy Doku showing signs of his old self

It has been a rough few months for Jeremy Doku, with the Belgian winger expected to be in the midst of his second-season come-up, but a difficult injury in his quad has kept him from being fully fit for the past month.

A healthy Doku and Savinho gives Pep Guardiola a much-needed spark to his struggling attack. While the former may not be healthy enough to start a full match yet, his performances off the bench have historically been some of his most successful.

Champions League qualification is the goal now

After four consecutive Premier League titles, it is impossible to imagine this current Manchester City side realistically competing for a fifth. The Sky Blues sit outside of a Champions League spot, and crucially, 11 points behind first-placed Liverpool.

A massive squad refresh is coming over the next few transfer windows, and Champions League qualification will be needed to ensure Manchester City are able to spend every single pound imaginable.

Pep Guardiola is still happy to be here

The Anfield crowd decided to have a go at Pep Guardiola in the closing moments, jokingly chanting, “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” at the Catalan suffering the worst string of results in his managerial career.

While it wasn’t the first time this has been sung at him this season, it clearly impacted Guardiola more coming from Liverpool fans, versus lower opposition.

The legendary Catalan coach flashed a wry smile and held up six fingers, highlighting the six Premier League titles Manchester City have won in the past seven seasons, most of which by besting former Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp.

Pep Guardiola highlighted his desire to stay at Manchester City in his post-game press conference, “When I was in trouble my mum and dad never gave me away. Now I want to be with this club and with these players to help them.”