Liverpool’s tilt at the 2024-25 Premier League title is beginning to look like a procession.
This trip to the Etihad was meant to be one of Arne Slot’s biggest tests but his side negotiated it with minimum fuss, closing out victory thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah (of course) and Dominik Szoboszlai to move 11 points clear at the top of the table.
Our experts analyse where the game was won and lost and where it leaves the campaign.
Has Slot’s new high ended the title race?
What a time for Liverpool to put together their best 90-minute performance of the season.
This was not the all-action attacking juggernaut that has lit up the Premier League (illustrated in the match stats below). This was a considered, professional and clinical performance from Slot’s side when they needed it.
Manchester City are far from their best but Liverpool still had a job to do at the Etihad, where they had not won in the league since 2015. With Arsenal losing at home against West Ham on Saturday, Liverpool had the chance to make their lead at the top of the table even more intimidating.
There was no evidence of the defensive cracks Liverpool had shown in keeping only three clean sheets in their previous 13 league games since the last time these two teams met.
Led by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, they set up a wall that proved impenetrable. In attack, their opportunities were sporadic but they took them. Salah was once again at the heart of everything, scoring the opening goal and serving up the assist for Szoboszlai as Liverpool scored twice with their first three shots.
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Liverpool have looked unstoppable at times but, in a vintage away performance, they showed a different side, minimising City’s threat and maximising their attacking moments. It was the defining moment on a weekend when the title race swung decisively towards Merseyside.
Andy Jones
How Liverpool changed approach to brilliant effect
Slot’s ability to tweak his tactical setup has been one of the most refreshing parts of his tenure on Merseyside.
He moved Ryan Gravenberch to the right flank against Bournemouth, pushed Andrew Robertson higher against Aston Villa without a recognised left-winger and, on Sunday afternoon, he tweaked the overall shape in possession.
Arne Slot changed his formation for the trip to City (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Rather than use a recognised centre-forward, Slot elected to play a 4-2-4 system with two attacking midfielders (Curtis Jones and Szobozslai). The system was less familiar but Slot experimented with a similar setup in pre-season and even sampled it during their 3-2 Carabao Cup victory against Brighton & Hove Albion in October.
Against Manchester City — always such a high-profile game — it was a gamble that worked. Liverpool seemed to have more bodies in midfield and attack. Szobozslai continued his excellent form after his manager highlighted the Hungarian’s relentless work rate before the game.
Slot had asked for more attacking output from Szobozslai earlier this season, with his return of goals and assists not matching his undoubted talent. A well-taken left-footed finish to put Liverpool two goals ahead was another reminder that Liverpool’s midfielder is playing some of his best football of the season, with his impact highlighted in his player dashboard below.
Pressing from the front, dropping back to help his defence and running beyond City’s last line were all on show on Sunday, making Szobozslai a strong contender for player of the match.
Mark Carey
De Bruyne’s sad slump
Kevin De Bruyne’s decline is tough to watch.
There have been several examples of him having a bad game against top teams over the past 12 months but what has become just as telling is how he has been left on the bench for some of City’s biggest matches, including against Arsenal and Real Madrid this month.
His best days look long gone and while there may well be a reminder or two of his quality before the end of the season, this will surely be his final year at City. His contract ends in the summer and his performances do not justify an extension.
De Bruyne was a peripheral figure against Liverpool (Getty Images)
There were some glaring examples of things not going his way during this match, including a left-footed shot on the stroke of half-time that ended up near the corner flag, and his best efforts to keep Liverpool out — he continues to give everything — only ending in a chase back to the same corner flag, where Alexis MacAllister nudged him off balance to earn Liverpool a corner. He was withdrawn shortly afterwards, with James McAtee on in his place as City’s first change.
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De Bruyne has been arguably the best player the Premier League has seen and if this is his final season, it is hardly a fitting end.
Sam Lee
How long balls undid Guardiola’s side (again)?
For all the frustrations Pep Guardiola has witnessed this season, the biggest one must be Manchester City’s inability to learn from their mistakes.
Wednesday’s loss against Real Madrid would have undoubtedly been analysed within an inch of its life by Guardiola, but the first goal scored by Kylian Mbappe coming from a simple ball over the top should have been a warning sign for what was to come on Sunday afternoon.
When playing with such a high line — as City are this season — it is imperative that there is pressure on the opposition player on the ball to prevent him from lifting his head. Giving a defender the time and space to play a ball over the top is inviting trouble, and you would have thought that City’s back line would have been on high alert after similar blunders in midweek.
Instead, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s simple ball over the top to Salah was too easy from a City perspective, unlocking their defence before he passed to Szoboszlai to finish — putting Liverpool two goals ahead before the break.
UK readers watch here:
Dominik Szoboszlai slots it home 🔥 pic.twitter.com/scGst1IueG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2025
U.S. readers watch here:
DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI. 2-0. LIVERPOOL ARE CRUISING AT THE ETIHAD.
📺 Peacock | #MCILIV pic.twitter.com/I4ff6NKgzW
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 23, 2025
They repeated the trick with a ball in behind early in the second half for Szoboszlai to run onto, but while Curtis Jones was on hand to convert his lay-off, the Hungarian had strayed fractionally offside.
Liverpool, of course, deserve credit. They cannot be pinned down to a dogmatic style of play under Slot, and it was assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff who gestured for the visitors to go long to bypass the City press.
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It has been one of the key strengths of Liverpool under their new manager. Long possession sequences? No problem. Punishing moments in transitional counter-attacks? Check. Direct play into the forward line when the opposition aren’t structured in their press. You bet.
You can point the finger at City’s weaknesses all you like, but Liverpool have become a Swiss Army knife this season — adapting to nearly every challenge posed to them across every competition.
Mark Carey
A Liverpool corner clicks (at last)
To say Liverpool have not been particularly prolific from corners this season would be kind.
Given the number of corners they force most weeks and the presence of Van Dijk and Konate in the box, you would expect them to be more prolific from those situations.
That has not been the case this season, and while they have tried to vary their approaches, clever short corner routines that have provided high-quality shooting chances have been in short supply.
Heading into the City game, they had scored three goals from set pieces, the lowest of any Premier League side this season — but they saved the best move in the playbook for a huge moment in their season.
The move began when Alexis Mac Allister slid a low pass toward the near post…
Szoboszlai made a bending run from behind the two Manchester City defenders patrolling the front post…
His delicate pass was perfectly weighted for the onrushing Salah, who had held his position towards the edge of the box…
The Egypt international struck towards goal and, with the help of a Nathan Ake defelction, it sailed past Ederson into the net.
It was a move reminiscent of the Bournemouth corner routine that undid Arsenal in October and the effect of Liverpool’s version on Guardiola’s side was equally deflating.
Slot was disappointed his side conceded from a set piece in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. He believes they can define games against top sides and on this occasion, Liverpool won the set-piece battle.
Andy Jones
Doku and Savinho continue to frustrate
Had Jones’ ‘goal’ stood to put Liverpool 3-0 up in the 58th minute, this could have got seriously embarrassing. Liverpool had been cutting through City at will but the dynamic shifted a little after it was ruled out for offside and City, almost immediately, forced a corner at the other end.
There was plenty of time for City to capitalise on that momentum shift but, in reality, Liverpool still looked comfortable.
Nevertheless, Jeremy Doku and Savinho made it a difficult afternoon for their full-backs. Doku was successful with 13 of his 19 take-ons. Savinho attempted six but was only successful once.
Jeremy Doku had another inconsistent afternoon (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Those successes never led to much, with the crosses either being cut out or the wingers simply running the ball out of play.
De Bruyne struggled, Phil Foden kept giving away the ball and City’s wingers failed to create meaningful opportunities. Guardiola’s men controlled possession for most of the second half but rarely looked like doing anything with it.
Sam Lee
What did Pep Guardiola say?
The Manchester City manager was positive about his side’s performance even though they suffered another damaging defeat in a draining season.
“We played very good,” he told Sky Sports. “Maybe we missed more productivity in the shots but we played against a fantastic team. Maybe at the start it was 50-50 and we could not convert.
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“Second half, they defended very deep. We have done something we have not tried for many games — we brought them to their box and tried to beat them there.
“The tactic was to arrive in the final third and the byline and it happened a lot but we did not score. We missed the next bit and with crosses, it is almost impossible to do it because of their size. We could not find the next step.”
What did Arne Slot say?
The Liverpool head coach was doing his best to remain grounded despite his side’s huge advantage at the top of the table, saying his team had to retain their focus.
“We are 11 points clear but Arsenal has one game in hand,” he told Sky Sports. “A week ago, we experienced how difficult Wolves at home was.
“It is easier for us to not get excited because we know what we have to put in. This result was more about defence than attack. It is normal for fanbases to be positive and it is important to understand why we are where we are.
“Three days ago, we had a draw at Villa and people told me we weren’t in a good place and then three days later we win and it changes again. We work every day to achieve this and it is three months of very hard work to maintain this.”
What next for City?
Wednesday, February 26: Tottenham (Away), Premier League, 7.30pm GMT, 2.30pm ET
What next for Liverpool?
Wednesday, February 26: Newcastle (Home), Premier League, 8.15pm GMT, 3.15pm ET
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(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
