Liverpool 2-0 Man City player ratings: Mohamed Salah delivers the knockout blow as Reds go nine clear | OneFootball

Liverpool may have delivered the fatal blow to Manchester City‘s title defence with a 2-0 victory at Anfield this afternoon.

Arne Slot’s team entered this highly anticipated match against the Premier League champions while sitting eight points clear of the reigning champions at the top of the table. Following this game, that has increased to 11 points.

City are no longer Liverpool’s closest competitor, as second-place Arsenal now trail by nine points.

It ultimately finished as a one-sided contest, as Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville described the events that unfolded before him as ‘men against boys’. The Reds should have been out of sight before Cody Gakpo’s opener. Mohamed Salah created that deadlock breaker and later scored from the penalty spot, though it should have been settled much earlier.

The defending champions could not land a glove on Liverpool. Their nine-point lead is the club’s largest margin as Premier League leaders since the last day of the 2019-20 season, when they secured their most recent title, finishing 18 points ahead.

Liverpool player ratings

Caoimhín Kelleher: 65%

Liverpool’s stand-in goalkeeper kept another clean sheet, making three saves (with two coming inside the penalty area) against City. Their were limited scoring chances due to the Reds controlling the game, but Kelleher did bail out Virgil van Dijk late on after a mistake left Kevin De Bruyne one-on-one.

Andy Robertson: 63%

He created one big chance and had a 92% passing accuracy, which was the highest among those who started for the hosts.

Virgil van Dijk: 66%

In another commanding outing, Van Dijk made seven clearances, three interceptions, and two blocked shots. He could have capped off this performance with a goal (one shot on target from three attempts). He was going to be named Gary Neville’s Man of the Match before the aforementioned error.

Joe Gomez: 73%

Making a rare start for Liverpool, Gomez achieved the best Squawka Score among central defenders on Sunday. This was due to completing four long passes, winning 100% of his aerial and ground duels, and regaining possession on six occasions in the defensive third.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 60%

It was a mixed but overall strong outing for the full-back, whose passing was on full display through five ‘entries’ into the final third. He also won five tackles and regained possession in the defensive third on six occasions. On the other hand he was dribbled past six times.

Alexis Mac Allister: 67%

He was dribbled past on two occasions, yet Mac Allister made amends by successfully executing three tackles and creating one ‘big chance’.

Ryan Gravenberch: 55%

Received another yellow card, committed two fouls, and failed to win possession with any of his five attempted tackles.

Luis Díaz: 58%

He was unable to create a single big chance for his teammates or have a shot on goal. Diaz also pulled off just one of his three take-on attempts.

Dominik Szoboszlai: 70%

Another strong outing for Szoboszlai on both ends of the ball: he created four chances, attempted two shots on goal, and recovered possession on seven occasions.

Mohamed Salah: 68%

If there was one flaw in Salah’s performance today, it was his inefficiency: he had three shots on goal, with only one on target— his successfully converted penalty. Minutes earlier he should have put the match to bed when one-on-one against Stefan Ortega. His assist for Gakpo’s opener means he has now equalled Wayne Rooney’s record of 36 different Premier League matches in which he has both scored and provided an assist.

Cody Gakpo: 65%

He opened the scoring, which means the Dutch forward has been directly involved in six goals during his last eight Premier League starts (four goals and two assists). Gakpo finished the match with four shots on goal and two on target.

Man City player ratings

Stefan Ortega: 57%

The busier of the two goalkeepers, he was forced to make five saves, but ultimately conceded the penalty that led to Salah doubling Liverpool’s lead.

Nathan Aké: 57%

He intercepted the ball twice, winning back possession, and successfully made three tackles, including one crucial last-man challenge. However, the Dutch full-back rarely supported City’s attack and was frequently pinned back.

Manuel Akanji: 54%

He made an error that led to Liverpool’s second goal, which ultimately impacted his rating, along with only winning 50% of his aerial duels.

Rúben Dias: 56%

He was kept on his toes throughout the match and was forced to make six clearances, achieving a notable retention rate of 93.1%, the highest among centre-backs in this game. However, all of that was negated as City conceded twice.

Kyle Walker: 50%

While he won three aerial duels and appeared comfortable in possession, this wasn’t the Walker of previous seasons. He seemed sluggish when the Reds frequently overloaded his area of the pitch.

Ilkay Gündogan: 59%

Made one successful interception and won possession in the midfield third on three occasions, but Gundogan was often overwhelmed.

Rico Lewis: 59%

Lewis played in yet another different position for City, but this was far from his best performance for his boyhood club. He completed one take-on as Guardiola’s starting winger and won three tackles, but he rarely contributed to the visitors’ attack, managing only one shot that was off target.

Matheus Nunes: 55%

He completed one take-on (from three attempts) while making two entries into the penalty area, but lost possession through three unsuccessful touches in the game. He created no chances, nor did he have a shot on goal.

Phil Foden: 55%

No player in a City jersey touched the ball in the opposition box more often than Foden (six). However, he was still unable to get a shot on goal or create a significant chance. Furthermore, he was dispossessed a team-high three times.

Bernardo Silva: 55%

In a less familiar deep role, Silva won three tackles and completed two take-ons. He attempted two shots on goal, though neither tested Kelleher in goal. Although he created one chance, it would not be classified by Opta as a ‘big chance’.

Erling Haaland: 50%

He took two shots on goal, with one hitting the target. Haaland also created a chance, but no one who started today’s game touched the ball fewer times (16).

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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