If you’re going to win it in February, win it in February right. On a rain-sodden day in Manchester, the kind of afternoon when the wind chases you around, lifting up the hem of your coat and firing a draught of ice-cold water up your spine, Liverpool didn’t so much overwhelm Manchester City as stroll politely past, all controlled aggression and strength in reserve.
A 2-0 scoreline seemed fair enough by the end. But then, by half-time this already felt like a victory lap. Albeit, an apposite one. If this really is to be the moment Liverpool took a decisive lead down the back straight, it happened in a way that reflects perfectly the calm, still centre of their season, both goals arriving in a 23-minute spell when Mohamed Salah decided it was time to bend the day to his will.
