LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) – Manchester City’s first win at Anfield since 2003 left them top of the Premier League by five points and effectively knocked Liverpool out of the title race on Sunday.
Manchester City opened up a commanding five-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Ilkay Gundogan scored twice in a 4-1 victory at Liverpool for whom keeper Alisson endured a Sunday afternoon to forget.
An emphatic win, City’s 10th in a row in the league and first at Anfield since 2003, moved Pep Guardiola’s side to 50 points from 22 games, five more than second-placed Manchester United who have played a game more.
Champions Liverpool are now 10 points behind City in fourth spot, also having played a game more, and if further evidence were needed that they have gone off the rails it was the sight of Alisson, a rock for the past two seasons, effectively gifting City the points.
In the space of three second-half minutes he twice passed the ball straight to an opposing player, allowing first Gundogan to grab his second goal, after Mohamed Salah had levelled from the penalty spot, and then Raheem Sterling to make it 3-1.
The excellent Phil Foden capped a superb day for City with his side’s fourth to leave Liverpool crestfallen.
Chelsea’s new coach Thomas Tuchel claimed his third win in four games since taking over from Frank Lampard, his side edging out bottom club Sheffield United 2-1 at Bramall Lane thanks to a strike by Mason Mount and a penalty by Jorginho.
Antonio Rudiger’s own goal was the first goal Chelsea have conceded under Tuchel but it mattered not in the end as they moved up to fifth place, one point behind Liverpool who occupy the last Champions League berth.
ALISSON ERRORS POINT TO LIVERPOOL IMPLOSION
When even the keeper regarded as the best in the Premier League starts handing out presents it is time for Liverpool fans to start getting seriously worried.
Alisson made two dreadful mistakes in the 4-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday, effectively condemning his side to a defeat that all but ends any hope of retaining their title.
So uncharacteristic were the errors that it might be argued Alisson is suffering from the instability in front of him with Liverpool having faced a catalogue of season-ending injuries to key defenders Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.
The elastic that held Liverpool so tightly together for the past two seasons appears to have snapped and they are now in a fight to finish in the top four.
