An early kick-off away from home after the international break against a team they were formerly competing for titles against: the game was set up for Liverpool to lose before it even kicked off.
Jürgen Klopp made two changes to the side that were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, with Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott replacing James Milner and Darwin Nuñez. Liverpool switched from their usual 4-3-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1.
Pep Guardiola also made two changes to the team that thrashed RB Leipzig before the international break. With Erling Haaland out due to a groin injury and Bernardo Silva suffering with a stomach bug, Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez came back into the team. Manchester City lined up in a 3-2-4-1 shape.
It was typical of Liverpool this season that when they finally ditched the 4-3-3 after months and months of doing the same thing without changing, it was for a match that they probably would have been better-served in by keeping it. With City lining up in a back three, Mohamed Salah and wingers Diogo Jota and Elliott could each pick up a centre-back, but there remained a problem in midfield, where Cody Gakpo was left alone against John Stones and Rodri.
In order to combat this Liverpool either had Jota or Elliott tuck inside or Fabinho or Henderson push forward to help Gakpo, but neither of these methods really worked. City’s back three would spread out wide across the pitch, so if the Liverpool wingers tucked inside then this left space out wide for City to work the ball forward down the flanks, whereas if one of the holding midfielders pushed forward then it left the other alone to deal with City’s attacking midfielders, plus Alvarez dropping off between the lines – given both men’s legs have gone, they already struggle to cover the necessary ground between the two of them, so leaving just one to cover two, potentially three, City players only stretched them thinner.
Liverpool on the other hand were struggling to keep hold of the ball, often giving it away straight after getting it back.
Yet it was Liverpool that opened the scoring. City were pressing Liverpool high as they passed it around the defence, but Alvarez failed to block the passing angle into Fabinho, allowing Alisson Becker to find him and break through City’s first line of pressure. He spread it out to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had space to quickly turn and loop a ball in behind City’s high line. Jota timed his run perfectly, played onside by Manuel Akanji, and he held it up then laid it off for Salah to finish.
Liverpool looked more comfortable when they didn’t press, having Salah drop back next to Gakpo to cover City’s midfielders, so that Liverpool’s wingers didn’t need to come inside and their midfielders didn’t need to push forward. Salah could be drawn into pressing though, once again freeing up one of the City midfielders. Once they took the lead, there was less need for Salah to go chasing after the ball though, and so Liverpool were able to stay tighter, making them harder to play through.
Liverpool were also helped by City’s back three failing to stretch quite as far across the pitch, perhaps spooked by Liverpool catching them on the counter a few times. Failing to stretch Liverpool as much, City had less space through a more congested centre, and as a result were finding it tougher to play through Liverpool.
City soon equalised though. Liverpool held off in a mid-block but Gakpo and Salah soon began to edge forward to pressure the City centre-backs rather than holding their nerve in midfield. The forwards stepping up required Fabinho and Henderson to move up behind them onto Stones and Rodri, leaving space for the attacking midfielders behind them, so when Jota misjudged his pressing angle, seemingly curving his run to block off the pass inside to Stones rather than the deeper pass to Kevin De Bruyne, Akanji was able to easily slide the ball through to the Belgian between the lines. Andy Robertson stepped up to pressure, and it was a poor pass from Akanji, but De Bruyne managed to knock the ball on first time to Mahrez down the right, seeing City go four-versus-three against Liverpool’s defence. With Virgil van Dijk pulled wide to confront Mahrez, Alexander-Arnold was forced inside to cover, but City used this to their advantage, switching play out to Jack Grealish in space down the left. As Ibrahima Konaté had been forced out to meet Ilkay Gündogan, Alvarez was left free in the centre to finish.
Despite the positive spell after taking the lead, Liverpool’s confidence dissipated as soon as they conceded, going back to giving the ball away cheaply. In contrast, City started to stretch their defence wide again, making it easier for them to play the ball out.
It took less than a minute of the second half for City to take the lead. A long ball saw the ball pinball in midfield, causing Liverpool to press, but Alexander-Arnold couldn’t get to Nathan Aké in time to stop him playing forward to Grealish, leaving Liverpool’s backline overloaded four-versus-three just as they had for the first goal. It was the same move repeated but with the sides swapped: the ball was spread from left to right as the full-back was forced inside to cover, then De Bruyne finished in the middle.
Whereas with the lead Liverpool could have sat back and forced City to bring the game to them, only to choose to go chasing after them anyway, now Liverpool were forced into opening themselves up, as they needed the ball if they were to get anything. As a result, City were able to easily pass it around Liverpool.
City soon added another goal minutes later, working the ball through the middle, out to the right, back into the centre, then into the box with neat little passes, leaving Liverpool chasing shadows before Gündogan finally finished the move.
With a strong lead, City were happy to simply maintain possession, toying with Liverpool.
They added a fourth with another extended passing move, moving the ball around in defence as Liverpool chased them before Gündogan finally hit it long to Grealish, who exchanged passes with De Bruyne to get around Alexander-Arnold and finish.
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