Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City: score, goals, highlights | Premier League

That's it.

Liverpool outclass City and ease to a 2-0 win.

Seven games with no win now for the Premier League champions with goals from Gakpo and Salah from the spot enough to secure the Reds stranglehold at the top of the league.

Four minutes to be added.

Elliot is back and replaces Diaz for Liverpool.

Final minute of the game as Liverpool start to throw out a few party tricks and the Reds win another corner.

The Catalan coach replies with a 'six' finger gesture to the ironic chants.

Where is it going wrong for City?

It can't all be pinned on Rodri's absence ?

'Sacked in the morning' sing the Liverpool fans to Pep Guardiola.

Five minutes remain and Liverpool's current stranglehold on the Premier League becomes that more solid.

We're only on December, but how can stop the Slot machine?

Jones on for Liverpool and Salah exits to a standing ovation from the Anfield faithful.

De Bruyne and Grealish on for City

Foden and Lewis off

Liverpool cruise

Liverpool currently 11 points ahead of City in the table!

A clear-cut spot kick for the home side.

Defensive errors from City and Salah can now double the Reds advantage.

He did miss in midweek against Real Madrid...

But tonight, the Egyptian makes no mistake and it's 2-0.

Penalty for Liverpool.

Ortega takes out Diaz.

Into the final 15 and the longer the game goes on, the less likely City look like striking back.

Nuñez and Quansah on for Liverpool

Gakpo and Trent making way

Liverpool break again (with some ease, it has to be said) and Gakpo opts to strike when he had players in support.

A Liverpool second is possibly closer than a City equaliser.

We're into the final 20 minutes of the contest at Anfield.

Liverpool break again with Gakpo and MacAllister looking sharp but the move comes to nothing as Salah had drifted offside.

City have more possession now but the overall feeling is that Liverpool are the side in control.

Salah shoots from distance and just fails to secure the required accuracy and the ball swerves wide.

A slight lull in proceedings now with the Anfield crowd quite quiet.

We pass the hour mark and already we can see a difference from the two changes as City now offer a more attacking threat via the Belgian and Brazilian.

Haaland has still still to get to grips with the game.

Doku and Savinho on for City 

Nunes and Gundogan making way

Ten minutes of the second half have passed and it's a much improved showing from City as they start to dominate possession.

Salah is through and with the goal gaping, looks to place the ball and strikes it over Ortega's bar.

Another big chance for Liverpool and one wonders if they will rue that and other missed chances.

Van Dijk heads inches over and leaves the City defenders rooted to the spot.

Liverpool have had their chances and could be easily 3 or 4 up.

City better in the second half and win their first corner kick of the evening.

Gundogan takes but the ball nestles in Kelleher's arms.

Gakpo down the other side almost makes it 2-0 on the counter.

We're underwy again by the way.

Another stat that offers a little hope for City fans.

The Sky Blues have scored in every away game this season!

Doku, Grealish and Savinho are the three City players that have been warming up at the break.

What can City offer by way of reply?

Haaland hasn't had a sniff yet and the Norwegian striker has had little or no service.

Nunes and Lewis are failing to create any danger on their respective flanks and that is something that needs to be addresses urgentky. 

That's it for the first 45'.

Liverpool in total control but it really should be more than 1-0.

City a pale shadow of the team who have dominated the Premier League for the past decade and plenty of work ahead for Guardiola.

Three minutes of added time to be played.

As we head towards the break, the game has become a little flat with Liverpool lacking that cutting edge that we saw in the first 20 minutes or so.

Will Arne Slot's men regret not converting those early chances and failing to put City out of sight already.

Having said that, Guardiola's men still look to lack any bite and Haaland has been a virtual passenger for the bulk of the half.

Half hearted appeal for a penalty from Liverpool fans as Diaz was pushed in the back. Referee, Mr. Cavanagh waves play on as Rico Lewis looks to poke the ball into the corner of the Liverpool net in what counts as a shot for the visitors.

Into the final five minutes of the half we go.

Now Gravenberch is cautioned as he trips Gundogan and breaks up the City move.

A MacAllister corner falls to Trent and the No. 66 drives his shot inches wide.

Liverpool still well in control and City still yet to muster a shot on/off target.

Foden too has his name taken as he pulls Gravenberch by the jersey as the Liverpool player strode free.

As we approach the 30 minute mark, City have shown a little more promise in the past 7-8 minutes or so but are still very much second best to Arne Slot's side.

Nunes is carded as he trips Trent AA.

First player to have his name taken this evening.

Another Liverpool attack ends with yet another corner kick.

Van Dijk the target again?

The delivery is poor from Trent and City breathe a sigh of relief.

Mac Allister corner and another thumping Van Dijk header almost makes it 2-0.

City shots on/off target stats so far: 0/0

When scoring first this season, Liverpool have gone on to win every game.

A stat that does not bode well for City.

Van Dijk tuinders the ball off the upright and City are really under the cosh.

We pass the ten minute mark and the 61-39 (%) possession stat is reflective of what we are seeing in the game.

Szoboszlai strikes again and the Reds win the first corner of the evening.

The Reds dominate as City struggle to create anything resembling a meaningful attack.

Szoboszlai now has a strike but fails to get a clean connection and the ball ends up in Ortega's arms.

Very much one-way traffic so far as Liverpool dominate.

Gakpo goes close after Gundogan gives the ball away as MacAllister sets Gakpo free but the flag was up as Ortega saved the effort.

First foray on goal sees Salah drilling in a teasing ball into the City box but applied to much 'welly' and the ball drifts wide.

The home side enjoying the bulk of early possession.

Liverpool get the action underway

A reminder of the teams with kick-off just moments away.

The teams take to the field with plenty of noise already being generated at Anfield with a solid presence of sky & white in the away sector.

Liverpool in their iconic all red, City too in thier sky jersey, white shorts.

After 12 games this season, Erling Haaland is the only City player starting today's game who has scored a Premier League goal in the campaign to date.

Reds warm-up underway

Fans continue to flock into Anfield with less than ten minutes remaining to the game getting underway.

A fascinating contest awaits in Liverpool.

Slot pre-game

Arne Slot: "It's always important to get a decent result over a direct rival and City are playing with a packed midfield today".

'City will look to dominate possession and it will be interesting just to see how they line out".

Liverpool-City: matchday weather

It's a mild December evening in Liverpool with a current temperature of 12C/53F and no rain forecast for the duration of the game. 

The players from both sides are on the pitch undergoing the pre-game warm up routine with less than 30 minutes ahead of kick-off.

Sunday Premier League results

In the early games played on Sunday, there were big wins for Chelsea and Man United with Spurs and Fulham sharing the spoils in North London.

'A New Chapter'

Arne Slot's first few months with Liverpool have been astonishing with the Dutch coach soon helping fans forget about the legend that was Jurgen Klopp.

His Liverpool side sit on top of the Premier League table with 31 points with ten wins from their opening 12 games.

The Reds are flying in the Champions League too with four wins and a draw in their opening quintet of matches.

Here's how the top of the Premier League table looks ahead of the Sunday evening game.

The Reds are six points clear of Arsenal & Chelsea and a massive 8 points ahead of City.

Still plenty of football to be played this season but one can't help but think that a win for the home side would derail City even further.

Premier League

Guardiola’s astonishing interview before Liverpool - City: “I would love to lose the Premier League”

Today's match official

Chris Kavanagh is the referee for Liverpool vs. Man City today with the match official in charge of a 1-1 draw between the teams at the Etihad in November 2023. This season, he has issued four red cards in the Premier League, twice as many as any other referee.

Liverpool - Manchester City: head-to-head record

Liverpool and City have each won three of the last 10 meetings between the teams, with four draws. However, the Sky Blues have only won once at Anfield in 23 attempts, with Guardiola coming out on top just once in nine games on Merseyside.

Although there will still be 23 Premier League games to go after Sunday, that record will surely have to change if City are to win a seventh league title in eighth years and stop Liverpool clinching their first since the covid-19 hit 2019/20 season.

City XI announced

Guardiola names his side for the crucial Premier League test at Anfield.

Injuries to key players have exacerbated City’s struggles, draining the energy and confidence of those available to play. As Guardiola himself admits, City’s biggest enemy is their own inconsistency. De Bruyne’s gradual return to form sees the Belgian on the bench with Aké starting for the visitors.

LFC XI confirmed

Arne Slot has selected his 11 players to start today's Anfield clash with Salah and Diaz getting the nod in the striking department.

The Reds are also boosted by the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, though they they will be without Ibrahima Konaté along with Alisson, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas, and Federico Chiesa.

Liverpool-City

In recent years, games involving Liverpool and City have become high octane affairs but it's been quite some time that a match can hold such importance. 

A win for the Reds would consolidate their position as 'the' team to beat in the Premier League and a win for City would deliver a massive injection of confidence.

At this stage too, one would expect that City fans would take a drw pre-kick-off.

Liverpool meanwhile are riding high and any concern about the team struggling under a new manager were short lived as the Reds top the Premier League table having just lost one game in the domestic campaign.

In Europe too, Liverpool are also dominant and will be boosted ahead of Sunday's game after a solid 2-0 win over Real Madrid last Wednesday.

The action gets underway at 1pm (ET) as Man City look to address their alarming slump with Guardiola's men failing to win in their past six outings in all competitions.

Hello and welcome to our live Premier League coverage from Anfield as Liverpool welcome Manchester City.