Manchester City kept the pressure up on Premier League leaders Arsenal by hammering rivals Liverpool 4-1 today at the Etihad.
Liverpool took the lead after 16 minutes when Mohamed Salah finished clinically into the top corner from 14 yards out after Diogo Jota had got in behind the home defence.
Man City attacker Jack Grealish then had to make a crucial interception to stop Salah from making it two-nil and within a minute Pep Guardiola’s side raced up the field to equalise. Grealish once again played a key role, the 27-year-old winger squaring to World Cup winner Julian Alvarez who slotted home from close range.
Just after the break and City took control, the brilliant Kevin de Bruyne scored his 100th career by stroking home a Riyad Mahrez cutback.
IIkay Gundogan effectively sealed the win for City in the 57th minute when he calmly fired into the net from a few yards out after some pinball in the Liverpool six-yard box.
Man-of-the-match Jack Grealish put the icing on the cake with 15 minutes left to play when he steered home a De Bruyne pullback.
What a performance from the team and this guy @JackGrealish 💙 pic.twitter.com/mgeKzy1wyi
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) April 1, 2023
Speaking afterwards City boss Pep Guardiola was beaming, the Catalan coach describing his sides showing as ‘magnificent.’
“From the first minute until the 93rd minute, it was almost the perfect performance. Even 0-1 down, we were playing well and Jack [Grealish] made a good save to stop a potential 0-2,” Guardiola told BBC’s MOTD.
“The way we played, the way we found our spaces for how they defend. Our intensity, high pressing.
“Of course, we fight to chase Arsenal and they are not used to being in this position – always in the last few years, they fight to win the Premier League and all the competitions. Last season they were two games from a quadruple and now they are playing to be in the top four – it would be incredibly difficult for us as well.
“As a part of that, you have to perform the way we performed. We were so stable and stuck to the plan. All the players were magnificent.
“Always we have fought against Liverpool, the way they defend, the way they play is so difficult for us. But today the players were magnificent. We played really well in all departments so hats off to our players.
“Tell me one player who didn’t play well? There was no one who was not playing well.”
