Even Haaland was optional.
MANCHESTER CITY 4:1 LIVERPOOL - MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
City continues to race for Arsenal. In the 29th round, the current champions beat their main rival in recent years. Liverpool could be better this season - the club is close to not getting into the Champions League.
The intrigue was that Holland missed the match due to injury. I didn't even get on the bench and watched the game from the stands. However, City crushed the opponent at the very beginning. In the first 10 minutes, the hosts had 77% of the ball. The Stones had traditionally played right back on defense and defensive midfielder when his team was on the ball. More often, he found himself in the center of the field than on the flank.
"Liverpool" was in no hurry to aggravate, playing the ball from their gates from the bottom. And in the 17th minute, it worked. City players managed to lure into someone else's third, the defense line rose to the center of the field, and a chic attack turned out. Two passes managed to go through the entire area. Jota from the center circle opened on the verge of offside (still in the correct position) and then rolled the ball under Salah's blow. So the guests suddenly took the lead at the Etihad.
After such a "City" turned on to the fullest and began to constantly create chances (by hits until the end of the half - 6:0). One of the attacks ended in a goal. The hosts rolled the opponent down. They passed so fast that Trent needed more time to get into a good position. And he allowed City to avoid offside and did not close Grealish on the flank, who assisted Alvarez.
The first half ended with a score of 1:1 with City playing advantage. On the other hand, there are several questions left regarding refereeing. Perhaps Trent was lucky to go to the break without a yellow, but more importantly, Rodri without a red. Already having a yellow card, he thwarted a dangerous attack by Liverpool 3 in 2. The guests were outraged and argued with the referee for a long time, but he did not change his mind, and VAR could not join this episode according to the protocol.
Before the second half started, City took the lead. Already Guardiola's team took advantage of the opponent's high defensive line. As a result, De Bruyne was already scoring into an empty net. And just a few minutes later, Gundogan also scored. 3:1 - on this, the result was made.
Liverpool didn't stop playing and had a few chances (including Gakpo), but City was still closer to scoring again. And so it happened. Grealish scored in the 74th minute, while De Bruyne scored his 13th goal. The Belgian leads the list of Premier League assistants. The result of the match was 4:1, even though who opened the scoring.
It's essential for City that it's a big win. This will be crucial if it will be the same number of points at the end of the season with Arsenal.
01.04.2023