It's the champions versus their closest challengers. The Premier League's dominant force against the contender that's suffered most at their hands. Too often Liverpool has fallen to Manchester City after a season-long battle, only once managing to come out on top—that moment coming at a time in human history where nobody was allowed to fully enjoy it during the pandemic. City has stood in the way of Liverpool fulfilling its greatest era since the late 1980s, but Sunday at Anfield is the day to sow the seeds of change.
Liverpool has enjoyed an incredible week. Conor Bradley crunching Kylian Mbappé and Caoimhin Kelleher saving Mbappé's penalty helped Liverpool pulverize Real Madrid under the Champions League lights, exorcizing demons that have built up over 15 years. It was three points in Europe but a night of revenge for Sergio Ramos injuring Mohamed Salah's shoulder, Gareth Bale's overhead kick, Vinicius's tap-in in Paris, the 5–2 in 2023 and even for transfer market defeats. There was a time where Mbappé and Jude Bellingham looked like they may have ended up on Merseyside but what they got on Wednesday was the Frenchman doing a Raygun impression and Cody Gakpo firing social media shots at England's golden boy after scoring the second goal.
Bradley picked up an injury which will keep him out of City's visit Sunday. With Alexander-Arnold in line to return, it'll be a welcome sight to bring one of the world's finest players back into the fold after an injury of his own. However, the trend is that whoever wears red on that pitch at the moment can do no wrong. Liverpool has won 17 of 19 under new boss Arne Slot, has a perfect record in Europe and is eight points clear at the top of the Premier League. City trail in its rivals' wake after three consecutive league defeats and no wins in six matches across all competitions. All signs point to the lead being extended to 11, even considering soccer's greatest trait of unpredictability and surprise.
Therein lies the opportunity of change. Sunday is Liverpool's chance to leave City in the dust and effectively eliminate the title defenders from the title race with only a third of the season gone. In any other year it would be ridiculous to write City off so early on but their fall has been alarming. They may still be second in the table but everything looks different. They look old. Their intensity has dropped. They don't have the world's best player due to injury and as a result they cannot seem to fix the same problems that keep appearing. Their numbers are telling a story we're not used to hearing.
This marks the first Premier League season under Pep Guardiola where City have conceded more big chances than it's created (36 for, 37 against, a -1 differential). Its lowest differential in any of the eight seasons prior to this is +64. It creates at a usual rate but are far easier to transition through and is facing 1.2 shots on the counter attack per game this season, more than any previous year under this manager. It's a problem at any point, let alone ahead of a match at Anfield against the best counter attacking team in the world.
Salah missed a penalty Wednesday night but the manner in which he won it will give City nightmares. Bradley to Luis Diaz to Salah, who turned Ferland Mendy inside out in a scene reminiscent of Lionel Messi versus Jerome Boateng in 2015, minus the fall to the ground and dinked finish to go with it. Salah is arguably the best player on the planet in Rodri's absence and leads the attack of a team which gets to explore if its most formidable trait can be brought to life again against a team showing no signs of being able to stop it.
Guardiola will of course know the threat Liverpool offer, but for City, the pressure is on. Lose and its league trophy looks as good as gone, barring one of the greatest comebacks in league history. For Liverpool it's a chance to, in the same week as exacting revenge on Real Madrid, firmly put in its rear-view mirror the team that has held them down most in the last nine years. They may not need any more motivation than that.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Embarks on Its Greatest Opportunity to Leave Man City Behind.
