SM
Inter Milan vs. Como: 20 hrs 37 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
MC
Premier League | Gameweek 32
Jul 2, 2020 at 8.15pm UK
Etihad Stadium
LL

Man City
4 - 0
Liverpool

De Bruyne (25' pen.), Sterling (35'), Foden (45'), Oxlade-Chamberlain (66' og.)
Mendy (41'), Walker (57')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Gomez (24'), Henderson (90+1')

Manchester City thump new champions Liverpool at the Etihad

:Headline: Result: Manchester City thump new champions Liverpool at the Etihad: ID:404891: from db_amp
The Reds were brought back down to earth with a bump at the Etihad.

Manchester City gave Liverpool a belated reminder of their power as they thrashed their newly-crowned successors as Premier League champions 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

The inspirational Kevin De Bruyne began the rout from the penalty spot with Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden also on target before an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain own goal.

It an unexpectedly crushing and sobering defeat for the Merseysiders in their first match since dethroning City and claiming their first title in 30 years last week.

Manchester City form a guard of honour for newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool (Laurence Griffiths/NMC Pool/PA)

Liverpool started brightly and hit a post early on through Mohamed Salah but it was almost all one-way traffic thereafter, with City making light of the 23-point difference between the sides.

After losing only one other match all season and their long-term goal achieved, Liverpool could perhaps be allowed an off-night. For City, however, with their ever-demanding manager Pep Guardiola targeting more trophies, their season is still very much alive – and it showed.

The occasion was a strange one without the raucous atmosphere that would normally be expected of such a top-of-the-table clash and City giving their visitors a guard of honour.

Yet while the game lacked the usual noise, there was still plenty of it in the early stages as a series of loud fireworks were set off outside the ground.

The game started at a lively tempo with Gabriel Jesus putting the ball in the net only to be flagged offside and Salah testing Ederson with a sharp volley.

Kevin De Bruyne inspired City to a confident victory (Dave Thompson/NMC Pool/PA)

Andrew Robertson blocked efforts from Foden and De Bruyne before Salah went close to opening the scoring with a low shot against a post on 20 minutes.

That was as good as it got for Liverpool as City took charge after Joe Gomez was penalised for bringing down Sterling. The pair had clashed when the sides met at Anfield in November – with ill feeling spilling over into the England camp – and this time Gomez grabbed Sterling as he tried to wriggle through the area.

De Bruyne stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick and calmly sent Alisson Becker the wrong way, underlining his newfound status as City's chief penalty-taker.

Sterling doubled the lead 10 minutes later following another swift break sparked by De Bruyne. Foden picked out Sterling with a fine pass and his first touch wrong-footed Gomez, creating the space to clip past Alisson.

By now City had the bit between their teeth and they claimed a brilliant third before the break with a slick one-touch passing move. It concluded when De Bruyne flicked a Foden pass back into the 20-year-old's path and he finished powerfully.

Phil Foden celebrates scoring Manchester City's third (Dave Thompson/NMC Pool/PA)

City showed no signs of easing up after the break but Jesus fluffed a good chance and Sterling had another effort deflected wide before Virgil Van Dijk cleared off the line from Foden.

Liverpool briefly threatened when Sadio Mane won a foul on the edge of the area after a push by Kyle Walker. VAR did check for a possible penalty but it was given as a free-kick and Trent Alexander-Arnold shot wide.

It was only a brief interruption to City's flow, with the fourth goal coming on 66 minutes when De Bruyne again broke upfield and picked out an unmarked Sterling in the area. Again Sterling did everything right and looked to have claimed his second of the night although the final touch came off Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Riyad Mahrez thought he had claimed a fifth for City in stoppage time but his strike was ruled out for handball by Foden.

amp_article__404891 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-07-02 21:24:02:
html db last update - 2020-07-02 21:24:02 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .