Coach Guardiola's pain is compounded!

Playing away at Liverpool's Anfield, Man City are currently on a six-match winless streak (5 losses, 1 draw). This is a disappointing result and unprecedented in Pep Guardiola's coaching career. Midweek, when Man City were held to a 3-3 draw by Feyenoord despite leading by three goals, the Spanish manager even resorted to self-harming by scratching his face.

Coach Pep Guardiola entered the match against Liverpool with a sense of anxiety.

Under pressure to beat Liverpool, Manchester City were not themselves in the first half. The Sky Blues displayed a lackluster style of play, controlling possession only 46%. Throughout the 45 minutes, the visitors only managed one shot, and it was inaccurate. Erling Haaland played as the furthest forward but was tightly marked, only touching the ball 11 times. The trio behind Haaland – Phil Foden, Matheus Nunes, and Rico Lewis – failed to connect, paralyzing City's flanks. Meanwhile, the two deepest midfielders, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gündoğan, played disappointingly, completely losing control of the midfield to their opponents.

Sky Sport commented after halftime: “Manchester City displayed a lackluster performance on the pitch. This is utterly disappointing, something that hasn’t happened since Pep Guardiola arrived at Man City. The expected goals and clear-cut chances for the visitors were at a record low. For Man City fans, it seems they realized their team came to Anfield having forgotten to bring their attacking line in the first half.”

Man City (in blue) were "suffocated" by Liverpool in the first half.

Man City only had one shot in the first half, and it was off target. The visitors' expected goals were also just 0.07.

PHOTO: PREMIER LEAGUE

In contrast to Man City's disappointing performance, Liverpool displayed beautiful football in the first half. The "Slot Ball" – a term often used by the English media to describe Liverpool's style of play under manager Arne Slot – proved effective.

"The Kop" controlled possession 54%, and had 10 times as many shots as Man City. In the 12th minute, Cody Gakpo tapped the ball in from close range, opening the scoring after a pass from Mohamed Salah. Before Cody Gakpo's goal, Van Dijk had sent a warning to the Man City defense with a header that hit the post in the 10th minute.

In the latter half of the first half, Liverpool increased the tempo of the game, constantly pushing forward and pressing the Man City defense. Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah had two more scoring opportunities, and only luck prevented Man City from conceding.

Cody Gakpo (number 18) gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead over Man City after the first half.

In the second half, Manchester City played with more effort and had a better game than in the first. Pep Guardiola's team regained control of the ball and created many attacking opportunities on both flanks. Stars like Jack Grealish, De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, and even Sávio were brought on in an attempt to find a goal. However, when the ball reached the final third of the pitch, Manchester City were consistently ineffective. Throughout the second half, Manchester City took five more shots but were unable to break through Manchester City's defense.

On the opposite side, Liverpool adopted a defensive counter-attacking strategy. In the 78th minute, Luis Diaz won a penalty, which Mohamed Salah converted accurately, sealing a 2-0 victory for Liverpool.

Liverpool are showing formidable strength in the Premier League.

Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Man City solidified their top spot with 34 points. Arne Slot's team is now 9 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal. Meanwhile, Man City have gone seven consecutive matches without a win. "The Citizens" have dropped to fifth place, 11 points behind Liverpool. According to the English media, Pep Guardiola's position as manager is under serious threat following this disappointing run of results.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/man-city-danh-mat-chinh-minh-thua-liverpool-o-tran-dai-chien-hlv-guardiola-cang-them-dau-185241202005526624.htm