Liverpool vs Man City

One of the biggest match-ups in the Premier League delivered on the hype, as Liverpool bested Manchester City – and handed Arsenal a four-point lead in the ...

By that stage, they could be well and truly on the road to relegation. And yes, Liverpool played with blazing intensity to match their manager’s fire – racking up 118.59km as a team, their second-highest total in the last three seasons. Arsenal may have opened up a gap at the top of the ladder. This time the script was flipped: they played horribly in the second half but still scraped a win. But the formation was nullified through the middle by Klopp’s disciplined and deeper defensive set-up (one of their deepest in three years), forcing City to slow down in possession – and crucially, limiting the spaces both on the flanks and behind the Liverpool defence that have been their greatest weakness this year. It opened up the game and ramped up the pressure on Liverpool’s right flank – their weak link this season. Leeds star Rogrigo’s horrible brain fade gifted the Gunners the opener, before Patrick Bamford missed a penalty, and VAR and a healthy dose of Aaron Ramsdale brilliance spared the league-leaders. De Bruyne was isolated on the right flank by the formation and Liverpool’s defence. But Klopp’s set-up was poised to benefit from that change, too. For so long, Roberto Firmino has played and redefined the false 9 role for Liverpool. Klopp’s Liverpool has so often reflected the frenzied antics of its German coach. This was a manic, red-hot battle between two juggernauts, fraught with tension and drama.