Liverpool goes 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League after 2-0 win against Man City
Liverpool goes 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League after 2-0 win against Man City
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Undaunted by playing at the home of Manchester City, Liverpool produced a performance worthy of champions to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
A 2-0 win at the Etihad on Sunday extended Liverpool’s lead over second-placed Arsenal and consigned four-time defending champion City to another humbling defeat in an ever-worsening season.
On Wednesday a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid sent Pep Guardiola’s team crashing out of the Champions League. Back to domestic matters on Sunday and City was powerless to slow down Liverpool’s march toward the title.
First-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai put Arne Slot’s team on course for a victory that leaves it in command of the title race after 27 games.
This latest defeat was City’s eighth in the league this season and 14th overall. The most games City had lost under Guardiola in any of his previous eight seasons was 12 in the 2019-20 campaign, which was the last time it failed to win the league.
Then, as now, it was Liverpool that led the way, with the Merseyside club looking likely to win a record-equaling 20th league title.
City, meanwhile, faces a fight to secure a top-four finish and a return to next season’s Champions League. It is fourth in the standings, above Newcastle on goal difference and just two points ahead of eighth-placed Aston Villa.
Arsenal’s surprise 1-0 loss to West Ham on Saturday had given Liverpool the opportunity to strengthen its grip on the title race.
Liverpool went ahead through Salah’s deflected effort from a well-worked corner routine in the 14th minute, which was his 30th of an outstanding campaign.
He turned provider in the 37th to set up Szoboszlai, whose low shot wrong-footed City goalkeeper Ederson and rolled into the bottom corner.
Seven-goal thriller
Newcastle scored four goals in 11 minutes against Nottingham Forest, but still had to withstand a late fightback to seal a 4-3 win.
A first-half goal spree — including two more for Alexander Isak — gave Newcastle a 4-1 lead at the break at St James’ Park.
But Forest, which had led after six minutes, mounted a comeback that provided a nervous finale.
The win moved Newcastle up to fifth and boosted its hopes of a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
Third-placed Forest led through Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opener in the sixth.
But Newcastle powered back with Lewis Miley’s goal in the 23rd sparking a remarkable spree.
Jacob Murphy put the home team ahead two minutes later and Isak struck from the penalty spot in the 33rd.
A minute later Isak scored his second to take his total for the season to 21. The Sweden striker is level with Erling Haaland on 19 league goal and only Mohamed Salah, with 24, has scored more this season.
Forest’s fightback began in the 63rd through Nikola Milenkovic and in the 90th, Ryan Yates pulled the score back to 4-3.
The defeat was Forest’s third in its last four games in the league and saw it miss out on the chance to move to within three points of second-placed Arsenal.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
