This is an embarrassing experience for Liverpool, who had hoped to regain their top form after victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid. They were completely overwhelmed by Manchester City's energy and pace from the first minutes.
Coach Arne Slot has stressed that managing multiple games a week is a challenge for some of his players. Therefore, he decided to keep the starting lineup, instead of making somewhat surprising changes. Now, Slot should wonder whether it was the right choice.
Florian Wirtz has continued to play neatly and disciplinedly, but has not made the significant impact expected from a player at a high price. Hugo Ekitike is almost quiet, while Mohamed Salah is still struggling to find his peak form.
In particular, Liverpool's defense once again showed slowness and uncertainty.
Some controversial decisions have somewhat disadvantaged The Kop, but this defeat is unlike the previous 4 close losses in the Premier League. This was the seventh defeat in the last 10 matches in all competitions, causing the reigning Premier League champions to fall to eighth place in the rankings.
The victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League may have extinguished rumors of a crisis, but the "Red Brigade" is still struggling. They were exhausted under the Etihad and were lucky to be just two goals behind at the end of the first half.
Slot seemed to have no way back when Nico Gonzalez's shot flew into the net in the first half, making the gap difficult to fill, although they improved a bit after the break.
Liverpool ended a streak of 44 consecutive goals in the Premier League when they could not overcome Man City's solid defense.
The attack with Salah, Wirtz and Ekitike was launched from the start, but no one could make a breakthrough, causing The Kop to suffer another bitter defeat. While Liverpool's defence deserves criticism, they also lack the necessary sharpness on the attack front.
Based on this performance, it is clear that Man City, not Liverpool, is the real opponent competing for the Premier League title with Arsenal.
Liverpool were at their peak thanks to their aspiration, cohesion and trust. Now, they have to relearn how to build everything from scratch. During the rain at the Etihad, people not only saw a failure, but also the image of a champion going through a painful rebirth period, not knowing when he would find his light.
"The last thing I want to think about is the title race. We should focus on achieving one result after another. Right now, we are eighth, while one team is far behind us, and Man City are only four points behind Arsenal," Slot said.
