He is no longer invincible Manchester City nor is it infallible Erling Halandbowed by the goal of Mohammed Salahwho controlled an uncontrollable ball for most of his goalkeeper Alisson’s footballers, won with the body and the half-turn reception of the ball to the innocent Joao Cancelo and ran, ran and ran towards the other area, where he defined the goal and the victory of Liverpool vs. Ederson (1-0).
The play highlighted and vindicated a magnificent footballer, but also pointed to the Portuguese winger, another phenomenal player, better in attack than in defense, as evidenced by an action that had arisen from a foul in favor of the group led by Pep Guardiola: Kevin de Bruyne hung it to the area, too loose, at the hands of Alisson, who started the counterattack with the long serve that Salah won over Cancelo and that made it 1-0 in the 75th minute, among the apotheosis of the public of Anfield, so in need of a vindication.
He is still 14 points off the lead in the Arsenal, but he altered his recent dynamic of three days without winning and shouted to all his opponents that he will compete until the end. The London team, winner two hours earlier against leeds, came out of the clash at the top reinforced by the defeat of Manchester City, the first time they have lost this season in the Premier, after seven wins and two draws that ended at Anfield. And without nuance.
Intense the ‘reds’
Competitive, contained, intense and firm in the first half, with the defenses above the attacks until then, the second half really unleashed Liverpool and Manchester City, who relaunched their voracity after the interval, confronted in ambition, merits and occasions, but without a goal until Mohamed Salah’s 1-0, due to the crucial and timely saves by his Brazilian goalkeepers, Alisson and Ederson, then essential for the 0-0 that lasted until the 75th minute, until the final goal of the ‘ 11’ Egyptian.
But Salah, But Salah… BUT SALAAAAAAAAAH! ?
Alisson saw the Egyptian alone, he put the ball to him and look what he did… IF CONTROL HAS NO KIND OF SENSE! ?#PremierLeagueDAZN ⚽?? pic.twitter.com/VdJP9deEiu
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) October 16, 2022
Erling Haaland did not score, although he had two headers in the first act and, above all, the shot that Alisson repelled midway through the second period, already overtaken at game time. He had scored fifteen goals in nine games in the Premier, in which he did not beat the rival goal in only one. This Sunday, seven days later, Liverpool achieved such a feat. Specifically, his defense, including Joe Gómez.
Phil Foden did score a goal, but it was disallowed in the 52nd minute. Promoted between the Norwegian striker, who snatched the ball from Fabinho at a foul (as later detected by VAR to disallow the goal), and Kevin de Bruyne, the young Norwegian attacker City, renewed this week until 2027, scored after the rejection of the local goalkeeper. Review on the monitor by referee Anthony Taylor confirmed the appearance of the infraction.
final maelstrom
Neither had Salah scored moments before, on the other side, whose opportunity in the 50th minute definitely shook up the match, when he stood alone against Ederson, when he wasted one of those occasions that never fails, when the visiting goalkeeper grew larger in front of him to pull off a fantastic hand with which he just cleared the striker’s attempt, when the goalkeeper damaged his left ankle in the action, although he kept going.
Nor had Diogo Jota been effective, who ended up on a stretcher, injured, a month before the World Cup, in the final moments.
Earlier, he headed the perfect cross that Salah proposed to him, when he finished off alone, perhaps somewhat forced, to the side of the net, between Ederson’s desperate exit; all within a quarter of an hour sequence, with the aforementioned goal disallowed against Foden, which Guardiola insistently claimed as valid, with visible gestures, between the protests of Haaland’s foul at the origin of Fabinho, which did seem to be an infraction.
In that momentary maelstrom, in that already open duel, relentlessly, Suddenly, Salah resurfaced, who controlled Alisson’s pitch, overwhelmed Cancelo and made the difference in favor of Liverpool. Klopp ended up expelled.
Data sheet:
Liverpool: Allison; Milner, Joe Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho (Henderson, m. 72), Elliot (Carvalho, m. 72); Firmino (Darwin Núñez, d. 72); Salah (Alexander Arnold, d. 90), Diogo Jota.
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Manchester City: Edison; Cancelo, Rubén Dias, Akanji, Aké; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan (Julián Álvarez, d. 89), Foden; Haland.
Goal: 1-0, m. 75: Salah.