Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool defeated Manchester City on Sunday with a 1-0 win as Mohamed Salah’s sublime effort took the Merseyside giants to eighth in the Premier League.
Salah’s dominance paid off as he put Liverpool ahead with a clinical one-on-one finish worthy of the match-winning goal in the seventy-sixth minute to save face, following the Reds’ worst league start after eight games since the 2012/13 season.
From the opening whistle, Klopp’s Reds dominated with dangerous chances from the Egyptian and a headed effort from Diogo Jota in the first half, which threatened the City goal, but to no avail as the opening forty-five minutes ended goalless and frustrated.
Salah came close at the start of the second half finding himself one-on-one against City goalkeeper Ederson again, but the Brazilian’s fingertip save prevented any blushes for the away side.
City’s Phil Foden nearly got his seventh of the season after he poached his shot passed Allison Becker into the net in the early stages of the second half, but Erling Haaland’s foul on Fabinho in the build-up prevented City securing the opener in the fifty-third minute.
A HUGE GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Mohamed Salah with the goal ⚽ pic.twitter.com/8Oab0vebHx
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 16, 2022
Once Liverpool went ahead, City’s pressure stepped up a gear but they could not find a way through their opposition’s defence with Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez providing constant defensive resilience to prevent the Mancunians levelling the score.
Speaking with the BBC, Liverpool boss Klopp said: “Against the best team in the world it is incredibly hard, but we deserved the three points with an incredible performance.”
The German also said that his side defended with a big heart and that the match was a game of real passion.
Klopp was red carded on the touchline in the eighty-fifth minute after his furious appeals to the referee following an incident between Salah and Bernardo Silva. Klopp said: ”I am not proud of that and I deserved a red card.”
City’s manager Pep Guardiola was forgiving of his losing side when he said to the BBC: “All the game we were brave, we played the game we should play, and I don’t have any complaints or regrets over how we have done it.”
“We had chances but not enough to do it. We made a good process to not allow them transitions. In general, the back three was brilliant,” he said.
The current Premier League holders were blunt-edged on Sunday evening which helped Liverpool claim their biggest win of the season.
