LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 01: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City and players react following the team's defeat during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players at Anfield
Manchester City were well beaten at Anfield.
With no shots on target until the 39th minute and their best chance coming near the death via substitute Kevin De Bruyne, there was little for the away end to get excited about. That section of the ground felt muted all afternoon - probably in no small part down to those in there who had tickets but were wearing shirts of other teams or recording the match on their phones - and from the first whistle there was little doubt that they would be witnessing a sixth defeat in seven games.
Pep Guardiola has many problems to solve, and is hoping rather than expecting that Anfield will be the nadir for City this season. As the final whistle blew, those on the pitch must have known that their hopes of winning a seventh Premier League crown in eight years are all but over.
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Despite that disappointment, the manager took plenty of positives from the game and Ruben Dias spoke about how the squad are united in their determination to put the run behind them. “We’re all together – players, staff, we’re all together and looking ahead to Nottingham Forest," he said. "Our objective is, as always, to win the next game. The next game is Nottingham Forest, so the objective is to win that game.”
Even before these words, the players had shown that spirit by going over at the end of the match to applaud the away end; Bernardo Silva was among those to give his shirt away as a souvenir. That has not always been the case in a run of form that has been among the toughest Guardiola or his players have had to navigate, but however much they just wanted to get home on Sunday they made the right call to go and recognise the supporters who have paid good money to follow their team.
It may not give City the three points they desperately crave or launch them back into the Premier League title race, but it does at least back up what the players and managers are saying - they are in the scrap together trying to work together to sort it out. That ultimately says more about the squad than some daft comments from Stefan Ortega about Liverpool after the game that he will surely regret.
Kyle Walker posted on social media on Monday to tell supporters that they will fight to the end. Even if they are not able to do that, they will at least support each other until the end as they battle to extend their legacy.
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