Premier League
Liverpool Shines As City Stumble: Three Talking Points From The Premier League Weekend
Liverpool triumphed over a resilient Southampton to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points on Sunday, following Manchester City’s shocking 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham the day before.
Ruben Amorim’s highly anticipated debut as Manchester United manager ended in disappointment, as the team settled for a 1-1 draw against struggling Ipswich, leaving the Red Devils stuck in the bottom half of the table.
Sportxparte looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend:
Manchester City hit new low
City’s run of four consecutive defeats was already unprecedented in Pep Guardiola’s coaching career and his commitment to a new contract this week could not stop the rot for the champions.
Seeking some home solace on their return to the Etihad Stadium, where they hadn’t faced defeat in two years, City were unexpectedly overwhelmed by a Spurs side that had fallen 2-1 at home to Ipswich in their last match.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or in front of the City fans before kick-off but the sight of the Spaniard was a painful reminder of how vital he has been to the success of Guardiola’s men.
Sidelined by a season-ending knee injury in September, City have since come off the rails, with Guardiola conceding his star-studded squad is now “fragile” and in a negative mental spiral.
Worse could be to come for Guardiola’s men with a daunting trip to Liverpool looming next weekend.
City’s only victory at Anfield since 2003 occurred behind closed doors during the coronavirus restrictions.
Salah keeps Liverpool on track
Presented with the opportunity to widen their lead at the top of the table, Liverpool found themselves at risk of an unexpected setback against Arne Slot’s formidable squad at St Mary’s.
The Reds’ hitherto miserly defense conceded twice on either side of half-time to allow bottom-of-the-table Saints to take a shock 2-1 lead.
In a crucial moment, Mohamed Salah once again rose to the occasion, building on his impressive start to the season and securing another three points for Liverpool.
The Egyptian pounced on an error from Alex McCarthy to equalizeise before blasting in his 12th goal of the season from the penalty spot to clinch the 3-2 win.
Uncertainty over the future of Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold remains the only cloud on the horizon for Slot.
But Salah, who reportedly earns a £350,000-a-week salary, is doing everything he can to prove he is deserving of another deal despite turning 32 earlier this year.
Amorim needs time no quick fix
Ruben Amorim had a dream start when Marcus Rashford put the visitors in front at Portman Road inside two minutes.
But any hope the Portuguese boss would be able to produce a quick fix for the fallen English giants was laid bare.
Amorim, who led Sporting Lisbon to two league titles in his homeland, cut a frustrated figure as Ipswich were the better side for long spells.
Omari Hutchinson’s excellent strike secured a well-deserved point for Kieran McKenna’s side,secured a well-deserved point for Kieran McKenna’s side, keeping them in the relegation zone. They could have easily celebrated a memorable victory if not for some impressive saves by Andre Onana.
“My players were thinking too much in the game. We had just two days all together, we need more,” said Amorim after introducing his preferred 3-4-3 formation straight away.
Having not dropped a single point in the league with Sporting this season before his transfer to Old Trafford, the 39-year-old has already experienced the immense challenge ahead of him in his quest to make United title contenders once more.
