Liverpool FC fell to a third consecutive defeat on their own patch as Sunday’s visitors on Merseyside, Manchester City, secured a 4-1 win over Jurgen Klopp’s defending champions, adding to the Reds’ misery after the latest outing at home had ended in a loss to Brighton.
A majestic second-half showing from Pep Guardiola’s men ensured a rather comfortable victory at Anfield, a first in 18 years, for the table-toppers.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
The opening 45 minutes were evident of both team’s quality on the ball as either side failed to make the most of their chances up front.
Fabinho’s clumsy challenge on Raheem Sterling meant that referee Michael Olliver was quick to point towards the spot and the in-form Ilkay Gundogan stepped up to give his side an important advantage heading into the break.
However, keeping up with the tradition of Manchester City players and spot-kicks at Anfield, the German’s effort was way over the bar and Jurgen Klopp’s men were handed a major lifeline.
Guardiola’s side took a hard-earned lead through Gundogan, who was quick to redeem himself following his penalty incident, as he was ready to ponce upon a rebound off Alisson’s initial save from a Phil Foden strike, tucking the ball past the helpless Liverpool FC No.1.
The scoreline was levelled through Liverpool FC’s main man Salah from the spot following Ruben Dias fouling the Egyptian international inside the box.
However, the visitors were quick to reclaim their hard-earned lead and Alisson Becker was the one to blame for an error-prone spell between the sticks.
The Brazillian shot-stopper misplaced his passes twice within a matter of few minutes and the Gundogan-Sterling duo were to capitalise upon Alisson’s misfortunes to make it 3-1 for the Manchester Blues.
Phil Foden rounded off the scoring with a wonderful effort on goal finding the back of the net and the final whistle brought an end to a misery-laden 90 minutes at Anfield for the Merseysiders.
