Salah scores and assists as Liverpool strengthen their hold on the Premier League title.

Unfazed by the away challenge at the Etihad, Liverpool delivered a champion’s performance, widening their lead at the top of the Premier League to 11 points with a convincing 2-0 victory over reigning champions Manchester City.

The win not only gives Liverpool the edge over runners-up Arsenal but also brings another disappointing defeat to City during a worsening spell in their season.

Just days before, City suffered a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League, which led to their elimination. Domestically, City could provide little resistance to Liverpool’s title chase.

Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah was at the center of Liverpool’s success, with his 30th goal of the season opening the scoring and assisting Dominik Szoboszlai’s second-half goal to put the club in the driver’s seat before halftime.

Historically, the Etihad Stadium has been a daunting venue for visiting teams. However, the defensive weaknesses of City were evident as the injured Erling Haaland’s absence was glaringly missed up front.

Salah, consistently their key player, surpassed expectations with an impressive record of 25 goals and 16 assists in just 27 Premier League appearances this season.

At the 14th minute, his impeccable skills were on full display as he capitalized on a precisely executed corner from Alexxis Mac Allister, converting it through Nathan Ake and past Ederson.

Despite City’s Egyptian international Omar Marmoush showcasing his finishing prowess, he was ruled offside before Phil Foden’s assist. The Belgian winger Jeremy Doku struggled with finding the final ball despite beating Trent Alexander-Arnold repeatedly.

Salah wasted no time, showcasing his pace to latch onto a long ball and set up Szoboszlai to further expose Ederson with a clever touch inside the penalty area.

Post-break, the final score could have been even more damaging for City had Liverpool’s counterattacks been more precise.

Liverpool’s visionary play nearly resulted in additional goals, with Curtis Jones’s goal ruled out for offside and a solution from Luiz Diaz halted by Ederson’s remarkable save. Abdukodir Khusanov thwarted Szoboszlai’s field goal attempt with a daring tackle.

Marmoush’s hat-trick from the previous weekend set a high standard, yet his efforts could not compensate for City’s lack of decisive finish as they amassed nearly 70% possession without much fruit.

Post-match, Salah was ecstatic about the performance, calling it an “incredible result” and expressing humility about the challenges ahead in the title race.
“It’s such a tough place to play against such a strong team with an excellent manager,” he commented to Sky Sports. “I’m thrilled we won, especially with title implications. We must now stay calm and handle the pressure.”

Despite their eighth league defeat of the season, City remains comfortably in fourth place and likely secure for a Champions League spot with potentially a top-five finish being good enough next season.

Earlier on, Newcastle displayed remarkable form by scoring four goals within an 11-minute span against Nottingham Forest, clinching 4-3 victory after enduring a tense Forest comeback late in the game.

Newcastle’s first-half dominant display, featuring two more goals by Alexander Isak, gave them a 4-1 lead. However, Forest’s late efforts forced Newcastle to dig deep to secure the win.

The triumph moved Newcastle to fifth, enhancing their aspirations for a top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League.