Last season, Manchester City and Liverpool fought an epic battle for the title in the Premier League until the last round, and the "citizens" won with 98 points, one more than the "reds". Liverpool's season then came down to just one defeat - against City at the Etihad in January...
How did such a struggle lead to a situation where one team already has nine extra points at the top in November? The current champion cannot keep up with Liverpool's infernal rhythm of victory, so two nights ago at "Anfield" he might have surrendered the crown after a 3:1 defeat.
- I believe that the championship is over, unless something dramatic happens in terms of injuries to Liverpool players - said Jose Mourinho and explained the situation with the leaders:
- Simply, all the dice lined up in that team. I believe that City is capable of winning seven, eight or nine matches in a row, but I don't know how Liverpool could lose this advantage - Mourinho is clear.
Anyone who remembers last season's duel between City and Liverpool from January remembers well the situation with the score 0:0 when Sadio Maneas' shot from the goal line was saved by John Stones. The ball was then only 11,7 millimeters on the line, but even that was enough for City to survive and eventually win 2:1, reducing Liverpool's advantage in the standings.
Now in the derby at "Enfield" everything stopped in 21 seconds during the 5th minute. City asked for a penalty after Trent Alexander-Arnold's handball, the action continued and it didn't take long - Liverpool took the lead with Fabinho's goal...
- We can talk about the fact that before Alexander-Arnold's handball, the ball hit Bernardo Silva's hand. But his hand was in a natural position, Arnold's was not... In the end, everything ends by stopping the action and making a decision, but Michael Oliver didn't do that - analyzed former City captain Vincent Kompany.
Whether City was damaged and whether VAR helped Liverpool take a crucial step towards the title - that can be debated. But a look at the table shows the dominance of Jurgen Klopp's team, which in the first 12 rounds won 11 times and drew at Old Trafford. City have already experienced three defeats, are suffering from injuries, are finding it increasingly difficult to win, are easily conceding goals... The start of the season in the Premier League also shows who is more hungry for the cup - which Liverpool has been waiting for as long as 30 years, since the 1989/90 season. He got away with it last year, as well as in 2014 with Brendan Rodgers...
- I am in contact with Liverpool fans and I have received many messages that this is a great victory. But they don't want to think about the title yet, and I completely understand them, because everyone remembers what happened in 2014 - said former "Reds" striker Peter Crouch.
Liverpool fans do it shyly, but the countdown has started - there are 26 games left until the end of the championship, 78 points are still at stake...
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