London (AFP)
Despite a missed penalty, Manchester City inflicted on Sunday a third defeat in a row at home to Liverpool, crushed 4-1 and whose chances of defending their title are seriously compromised after 23 days of the Premier League.
- Dark Liverpool against City
Pep Guardiola had never won at Anfield Road, but his men are five lengths ahead of their runner-up, Manchester United, hung Saturday by Everton (3-3), and especially ten lengths on the Reds while they have one game less than these two teams.
Liverpool, who haven't lost three straight at home in the league since 1963, now have to seriously look in the rearview mirror where Chelsea, who won (2-1) at Sheffield United and West Ham, are at one point, but also Everton, 7th three points but with two games less, threaten its place in the Champions League.
Liverpool will have deceived 70 minutes against the most fit team in the Premier League and perhaps in Europe, since the Citizens are 14 consecutive games without defeat, including 12 wins, in the league.
The sporting but also symbolic significance of this triumph is resounding for the double champions 2018 and 2019, reduced to the role of spectator last year by the single rider of the men of Jürgen Klopp.
German midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, who missed a penalty in the first act before scoring a brace (1-0, 49th, then 2-1, 73rd), was again very much in sight, he who has been doing for several matches totally forget the absence of Kevin de Bruyne.
The defensive mistakes of a Liverpool team trying to plug somehow the holes left by the injuries also ended up costing him dearly.
Neither of the two defensive recruits for the winter transfer window - Ben Davies and Turkish international Ozan Kabak - were also starting at kickoff.
And the way Trent Alexander-Arnold passed on the action bringing the penalty kick, or even Fabinho's foul - who wouldn't have been a problem in the midfield where he usually plays, but was far more damaging in a penalty area - show the limits of permanent DIY.
Liverpool were also "betrayed" by goalkeeper Alisson, who was coming back from injury and was uncertain for this top game.
Author of several incredible errors in the game on the foot, he was at the origin of the second goal of Gündogan and that of Raheem Sterling (3-1, 76th).
Offensively too, Liverpool suffers, and Mohamed Salah's goal from a penalty (1-1, 63rd), which had briefly revived hope, is a poor hide-and-seek.
This does not detract from City's exemplary performance in the second half which made Guardiola's men the undisputed favorites for the title.
- Tottenham leave thanks to Kane
With the return of their striker-goalscorer Harry Kane, Tottenham returned to success by beating the relegation West Bromwich Albion (2-0), Sunday, and clings to the European wagon: with 36 points, Spurs are 8th to four points for qualifying places for the C1, but with one game less.
West Brom, with 12 points and 11 lengths behind the first non-relegation, looks more and more doomed to return to the Championship (D2), a year after being out of it.
Before this match, Tottenham remained on three league defeats, unheard of for a team led by José Mourinho, but the return of the England captain has done Spurs great good, even if a success against a team that conceded 54 goals in 23 matches must be put into perspective.
The Londoners had to wait for the second act to find the fault by Kane himself, very well served by a pass from Pierre-Emile Hojberg in an interval, which concluded on the flat foot (1-0, 54th).
The goal of the break came four minutes later on a counter led by Lucas Moura who shifted Son Heung-min.
The coolness of the Korean in front of goal did the rest (2-0, 58th).
Balm to the heart for Tottenham who will travel to Manchester City next Saturday for a test of a whole new magnitude.
In the second game of the afternoon, Leicester could not do better than a goalless draw (0-0) at Wolverhampton, despite the return of their favorite scorer, Jamie Vardy, who entered half an hour from the end.
Leicester retains its 3rd place with 43 points.
© 2021 AFP