Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, left, vies with Manchester City's Belgian midfielder Jeremy Doku during the English Premier League match at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Feb 23, 2025. Photo: AFP
Liverpool took another step towards the Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Manchester City after talisman Mohamed Salah scored their first goal and set up Dominik Szoboszlai for the second as they went 11 points clear at the top on Monday.
Arne Slot's side have 64 points from 27 matches ahead of second-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand. City are fourth on 44 as their early-season quest for a fifth consecutive title has unravelled into a chase for a Champions League berth.
Salah struck his league-leading 25th goal of the season in the 14th minute following a corner with a blistering shot from near the top of the box that deflected off the outstretched foot of City defender Nathan Ake past goalkeeper Ederson.
Szoboszlai took advantage of City's atrocious defending to double the lead in the 37th. Salah found the unmarked Hungarian in the box for an easy pass into the net to the dismay of City supporters, whose dismal mood was matched by the driving rain.
Thousands were gone before the final whistle, while the Liverpool fans gleefully sang: "We're going to win the league."
The 32-year-old Salah has scored and assisted in 11 league matches this season, the most by a player in a single campaign in one of Europe's big five leagues since Lionel Messi's 11 for Barcelona in 2014-15.
City, missing leading scorer Erling Haaland with a knee injury, held their own for much of the game, dominating possession with 66 percent to Liverpool's 34 percent.
It was Liverpool's lowest percentage this season and the lowest they have had in winning a game since the compilation of the possession statistics began 20 years ago.
The hosts had five shots on target to Liverpool's four.
City's Omar Marmoush, who bagged his first hat-trick for the club in their 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United just over a week ago, thought he had scored with a sumptuous finish into the far corner in the first half but the offside flag went up.
The Egypt striker unleashed another shot that sailed just wide in the second half as City boss Pep Guardiola buried his head in his hands.
Curtis Jones whipped the travelling Liverpool fans into a frenzy with what he thought was a goal in the second period before it was ruled offside by VAR.
The visitors had done enough though and rejoiced in beating City home and away for the first time since 2015-16.
Newcastle hold on against Forest
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak scores their third goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League football match against Nottingham Forest at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 24 February, 2025. Photo: AFP
Earlier in the day, Newcastle United scored four goals in 11 first-half minutes to keep alive their Champions League qualification hopes with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Nottingham Forest at St James' Park, but had to hold on under heavy pressure in the second period.
Newcastle move into fifth place with 44 points from 26 games, outside the top four on goal difference only. High-flying Forest lost for the second week in a row but remain in third with 47 points from the same number of matches.
Forest led early through Callum Hudson-Odoi's long-range strike but Newcastle roared into life with four quick goals from 18-year-old Lewis Miley, Jacob Murphy and a brace from Alexander Isak, the first a penalty, which gave them a 4-1 halftime lead.
Forest were the better side in the second period and created numerous chances against a nervous home team, as Nikola Milenkovic netted and a late goal by Ryan Yates almost earned the visitors what would have been a deserved point.
"It was a brilliant first half, the reaction after conceding was really good," Isak told SkySports. "We dropped a bit second half and conceded sloppy goals. I'm obviously happy to win the game.
"The most important thing was to win. We want to win more comfortably but it was a big win."
The home side had five shots on target in the first half and none in the second in a performance that will give manager Eddie Howe much food for thought despite the three points.
"We made mistakes, Newcastle made mistakes also. But it was two totally different halves. We started well, we scored, and they just rolled over us," Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said.
"There was nothing else in the first half about us. Every time Newcastle had the ball they scored. In the second half we were much better."
Forest led inside six minutes when Hudson-Odoi drilled a low shot from 30 metres into the bottom left corner, before Newcastle seized control.
Miley was picked out in acres of space in the penalty box and fired low into the net, before the home side went ahead when Murphy bundled in the ball at the back post off his thigh.
Newcastle received a penalty when Lewis Hall's cross from the left struck the arm of jumping Forest defender Ola Aina, which was deemed to be in an unnatural position.
Isak went down the middle with his spot kick and while Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels got a strong hand to it, he could not keep out the ball.
The home side added a fourth with Isak scoring his 50th Premier League goal in his 76th appearance as his shot deflected into the net.
Newcastle almost scored a fifth early in the second half when Fabian Schaer's header from a corner came back off the post.
But the hosts inexplicably fell off the pace after that and Forest created chance after chance until Milenkovic flicked the ball into the net from close range.
Yates fired in a third for the visitors as the clock struck 90 minutes but they could not force an equaliser in injury time.
- Reuters
