Four Liverpool talking points from their win over Man City

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David Lynch11 November 2019

It says a lot about Manchester City that, even at 3-0, no Liverpool fan inside Anfield truly felt comfortable.

Despite the Reds holding a hefty advantage from the 51st minute onward, every misplaced pass or missed challenge was greeted with gasps of horror from the home support.

Of course, the hosts were ultimately only made to pay once, when Bernardo Silva arrowed in a low finish to chalk up Man City’s solitary goal late in the second half.

That meant Liverpool securing a victory that takes them nine points clear of the reigning champions in top spot in the Premier League.

And perhaps the best proof of just how sizeable an achievement that is could be seen in their fans’ reactions in that final half an hour.

Here are four Liverpool talking points from their win over Man City…

Reds midfield delivers again

Had you studied the countless combined XIs put together in the build-up to this game, you would not have found many instances of a Liverpool midfielder featuring.

Manchester City possess an enviable wealth of talent in that position that makes them far superior on paper - unfortunately for them, football is played on grass.

Here, the Reds’ less glamorous trio of Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson dominated, not through possession - as City might have - but sheer intelligence.

The visitors simply could not cope with Liverpool’s press, or their midfield triumvirate’s underrated knack of getting the ball into advanced positions through either driving runs or fizzed passes.

Liverpool’s engine room will probably continue to be unfairly maligned by pundits, but today’s result and indeed the league table is proof of just how wide of the mark most of those assessments are.

Lovren stars at the back

Speaking of unfairly maligned, how about Dejan Lovren’s performance?

Over the summer, the Croatian looked set to leave Anfield after falling behind Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip in the centre-back pecking order.

But an injury to the latter and admirable determination have earned him an opportunity that he has subsequently grabbed with both hands.

The 30-year-old saved his best performance since returning to the starting XI for today, shutting down Sergio Aguero with an impressive showing of front-foot defending.

Matip is scheduled to return following the upcoming international break but, with Lovren playing like this, he may well face a battle to earn his place back.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

Handball controversy a red herring

Perhaps the Spaniard thought it wise to take the pressure off his players after yet another off-colour Anfield showing saw their title hopes severely dented.

City were second best in most areas of the pitch throughout, and they did not look like a team capable of turning around a now nine-point deficit at the top in the coming months.

No matter what controversy arises in the coming days, it should not be forgotten that Liverpool were deserving winners of this heavyweight clash.

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Liverpool can’t miss this opportunity

Yes, it’s only November and, yes, there’s a long way to go, but even the most downbeat Liverpool fan must see the opportunity this season has presented.

Last term, the Reds only ever managed to open up a seven-point lead on Manchester City, meaning all it took was defeat at the Etihad Stadium and draws at Everton and Manchester United to lose control of the title race.

Pos Team P W D L GD Pts
1 Liverpool 12 11 1 0 18 34
2 Leicester City 12 8 2 2 21 26
3 Chelsea 12 8 2 2 10 26
4 Man City 12 8 1 3 22 25

But now the advantage stands at nine points and, crucially, Guardiola’s team don’t look quite as dominant as they have been in the past two campaigns.

It is incredibly early days, but it already feels like Liverpool have put themselves in a position where it would be criminal if they don’t go on to end their title drought.

Perhaps that brings a new pressure, though you’d certainly rather be nine points ahead than behind

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