Liverpool mauls Man City, and the Premier League's new balance of power crystallizes

Just in case there was any doubt that the balance of Premier League power had shifted — away from Manchester City, toward the only club that has interrupted City’s modern reign — Liverpool proved the point with authority Sunday at Anfield.

They beat City 2-0, and the simplest evidence of the shift is now the EPL table. The Reds lead by a whopping nine points, with City 11 points back in fifth place.

But the best evidence was all over the Anfield pitch. Liverpool mauled the four-time defending champs for most of the 90 minutes. In the first half, they extinguished a once-prolific City attack by swarming the ball, biting into tackles, and repelling any attempt to build possession before City had even reached midfield.

The home side scored within 12 minutes, via Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and finally Cody Gakpo.

And they really should have scored more. Virgil van Dijk pinged the post with one header; he narrowly missed with two others.

Gakpo and Salah skied great chances. As a collective, through 60 minutes, the Reds had created 2.3 Expected Goals (xG) — a measure of chance quality and quantity — to City’s 0.2.

City steadied throughout the second half. They recaptured some of the control that has been — or was — a hallmark of their reign. But on 78 minutes, a Salah penalty sealed the deal. And over 90 minutes, the one-way flow of traffic was overwhelming, and the conclusion clear.

Because this was not just one game. It was a continuation and convergence of two distinct trends: while City has slipped and splintered, Liverpool has soared to the top of the league. Both trends seem sustainable; neither has shown signs of abating; and so, until further notice, this is the EPL's new world order.

The Reds, under new coach Arne Slot, have meshed the most devastating aspects of Jürgen Klopp’s heavy-metal football with technical quality, opportunistic counter-attacking and impressive control. They have now won seven straight in all competitions. They're 11-1-1 in soccer's most competitive league. They’ve established themselves as the 2024-25 title favorites, and the most complete team in the sport.

City, on the other hand, have now lost four straight in the league. They haven’t won in seven games across all competitions — the longest winless run of Pep Guardiola's managerial career. They look flawed and old, like a fallen power clinging to battle plans that their banged-up soldiers and stand-ins can no longer execute.

They have been vulnerable without Rodri, the Ballon d'Or winner whose ACL ruptured in September.

They have sputtered in the final third, with Phil Foden worn thin and the rest of Erling Haaland's supporting cast looking rather ordinary.

They have failed to replace Rodri or adjust without him. They have failed to acclimatize to their new reality, with Kevin De Bruyne no longer a reliable fulcrum. They have failed to recalibrate a team that once bossed games and hummed up and down the field like a ruthless machine. Now, they hum but also lapse, conceding more quality shots than ever before in the Guardiola era.

On the other side, for Liverpool, Gakpo has found his footing in England. Ryan Gravenberch has been imperious — and precisely what City lack. Van Dijk, at age 33, is as monstrous as ever. He and a well-balanced midfield have allowed Liverpool to weather a recurring injury crisis of their own — which has been overlooked for one simple reason.

"People only talk about injuries if the results are not there," Slot said this past week. "So it’s a good thing that nobody talked about our injuries."

All of that has allowed Liverpool to inch further and further ahead of a chasing Premier League pack. And as it crystallized Sunday under the lights at Anfield, joyous fans sang to Guardiola: "You're getting sacked in the morning! Sacked in the mooooorning!"

Guardiola smiled, and, in response, held up six fingers — presumably one for each of the Premier League titles he has won.

But even he must know, now, that No. 7 is very far from his fingertips.

He was asked last week after a 4-0 loss to Tottenham whether the current title race would be over if his team lost again to Liverpool.

“Yeah," Guardiola said. "It’s true."