**Manchester City suffered a fourth consecutive loss in the Premier League with a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, leaving them 11 points adrift of the summit.**
The storied rivalry between the two sides saw the reigning champions struggle against one of their biggest rivals, succumbing to a seventh consecutive defeat across all competitions in their latest clash.
Arne Slot came prepared to take on Pep Guardiola, who saw his side punished by the table leaders in a composed fashion.
To say City had a nervy start would be an understatement. Misplaced passes from Manuel Akanji, Matheus Nunes’ ball retention, a struggling Ilkay Gundogan, and Kyle Walker’s now-routine errors left gaping holes in the team’s set-up for Liverpool to exploit from the first whistle.
The hosts knew to put pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men right from the opening minute. Trent Alexander Arnold’s remarkable link-up with Cody Gakpo troubled the reigning champions, rendering the entire City midfield pointless during build-ups.
Mohamed Salah, as always, remained the biggest threat, and he was also the one who set up the first blow for the visiting side. Gakpo quietly followed up behind an unaware Kyle Walker, while Salah ran free on the other side of the pitch.
The Egyptian made a sublime cross inside the City box while Gakpo snuck past Walker to drive the ball into the net. Stefan Ortega, who had withstood the pressure until that point in the match, managed to graze the ball but could not stop it from falling into the path of an incoming forward.
The ease in which the Liverpool forward ran behind Kyle Walker for the goal was harrowing. An argument seemingly ensued between the Englishman and Ruben Dias, foreshadowing the worst of Manchester City’s defensive woes that would be displayed later in the game.
There were still plenty of unwise choices, including the man-marking during set pieces. The Blues did not concede another goal in the first half, which was a temporary reprieve in the context of their recent performances and Liverpool’s pure quality.
Although City’s defence improved as time passed, the team’s offence was negligible. Guardiola’s side struggled to find harmony in build-ups, which often met with disappointing endings. City registered their first shot almost half an hour into the game with Rico Lewis’ wide effort from the edge of the box.
City increased frequency in which they created hopeful spells when they returned in the second half. Nunes stopped Gakpo from doubling the lead for Liverpool and soon made way for Jeremy Doku, who proved to be a bigger challenge for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The reigning champions had just started to gain momentum when a series of blunders from City defenders led to them conceding another goal. This time, Luis Diaz escaped with the ball after mistakes from Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker before running into Ortega, who committed a foul.
The hosts were given a penalty, and Salah converted to give the table leaders a much-needed advantage. Kevin De Bruyne’s introduction late in the contest pushed the Liverpool side back inside their own half of the pitch, but the Belgian shooting straight at the keeper did not help.
Liverpool toyed with City’s confidence for some more time before the referee blew the final whistle. The Sky Blues suffered a seventh successive game without a win, their fourth successive defeat in the Premier League, and fell 11 points behind their opponents.
The loss also extends the worst spell in Guardiola’s managerial career, who had a cheeky moment at Anfield with the home fans when he signalled how many Premier League trophies he has won – many of which have come at Liverpool’s expense.
However, the Catalan tactician now has a monumental task to revive this Manchester City side as they prepare for their next match against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium, scheduled for midweek.
Here’s how we rated Manchester City players’ performance in their defeat against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon!
**Starting XI**
**Stefan Ortega – 6**
Replaced Ederson for the contest at Anfield, and unfortunately made a mistake in the second-half resulted in a Liverpool penalty. That said, the German made several crucial saves, and without him, City would have probably had to endure an embarrassing scoreline.
**Kyle Walker – 2**
Mistakes can be forgiven, but the captain’s unaware, nonchalant, and largely irresponsible performance in defence – and not for the first time this season – made him undoubtedly Manchester City’s weakest point.
**Ruben Dias – 5.5**
He was better than other Manchester City defenders until his mistake in the second-half, followed by errors from Kyle Walker and Stefan Ortega, that ultimately led to a penalty for the hosts.
**Nathan Ake – 5**
The Dutch international – who came in for Josko Gvardiol – prevented a goal but picked up a yellow card after committing a foul in his desperate attempt to play a ball from Bernardo Silva’s mistake.
**Manuel Akanji – 4**
His passes were largely misplaced from the beginning, and especially one directed at Ilkay Gundogan, who couldn’t withhold Liverpool attackers but grew better as the game progressed.
**Ilkay Gundogan – 5**
He struggled in the midfield and could not prevent any of the Liverpool build-ups but got better after setting in the game.
**Rico Lewis – 6**
He was allowed to play higher and was good with the ball despite overwhelming spells of attack. He paced through Liverpool’s midfield with the ball at his feet.
**Bernardo Silva – 5**
Uncharacteristically poor performance against Liverpool. His passes were largely poor, with his only memorable moment being his slight tiff with Mohamed Salah – but he would be better off forgetting the same.
**Phil Foden – 5**
Received a yellow card for an avoidable foul, struggled in the final third, and did almost nothing relevant.
**Mattheus Nunes – 5**
He struggled to find his way past the Liverpool full-backs and could not find Erling Haaland inside the box, preventing a massive goal from Cody Gakpo.
**Erling Haalad – 4**
Games like these scream for goalscorers; he may not have received the ball as often, but he should have done better with the chances that were created.
**Substitutes**
**Jeremy Doku – 6**
Elevating the entire Manchester City attack with his energy forced Liverpool to defend deep, which helped his other teammates to get inside the box.
**Kevin De Bruyne – 5**
He missed an easy goal – at least by his standards – and the one that could have been a game-changer.
**Savinho – 5**
He paired well with Jeremy Doku but could not replicate the latter’s flow on the pitch.
**Jack Grealish – 5**
Similar to his last appearance, he did not do enough to warrant a rating of his performance, although was not granted sufficient time to make too much of a difference on the contest as a whole, particularly with the scoreline at 2-0.