It wasn’t three factors, however in each different conceivable sense, Liverpool got here away from the Etihad as winners on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds are not any strangers to doing it the arduous means towards Man Metropolis, coming from behind twice in April 2022 at a stage when the quadruple was greater than only a pipedream.
It’s a stadium that hasn’t yielded a lot pleasure for us lately, successful simply as soon as in our final 15 league makes an attempt on the house of final season’s treble winners.
In equity, not many groups go there and are available away with the spoils. As soccer fixtures go, it’s as troublesome as they arrive and leaving unscathed is usually the primary order of the day.
As Liverpool followers, we nearly by no means admit to being content material with a draw. However whenever you put on scars from massive defeats – and there have been a number of beneath Pep Guardiola – widespread sense tells you to be extra lenient together with your expectations.
Crushing actuality verify
The 4-1 thrashing on April Fools’ Day was the most recent of these and it got here at a time after we didn’t know what to anticipate of Liverpool from one week to the subsequent.
The 7-0 victory over Man United and subsequent 1-0 defeat away at Bournemouth inside the house of six days that preceded it completely encapsulated the chaos that was 2022/23.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring that afternoon, that I had zero recollection of that purpose goes some method to explaining how a lot of the ordeal I had tried to erase from my reminiscence.
Liverpool adopted that excellent begin by hitting the self-destruct button. Man Metropolis are greater than adequate to punish with out encouragement, however the Reds provided them a lot that day.
Jurgen Klopp‘s facet had been lucky to get into the break at 1-1, however a collection of sloppy errors had been sufficient for the hosts to place themselves out of sight within the second half.
That was at a time after we had been struggling a little bit of an identification disaster. The supervisor set his staff out in a 4-2-3-1 with Salah main the road, let’s simply say there’s a purpose we’ve not likely seen that since.
Alexander-Arnold got here beneath fireplace for failing to trace his man as Man Metropolis made it 4, however he was removed from the one responsible suspect that day.
Renewed vigour
Up to now, that consequence and efficiency would have sunk the Reds and battered confidence, however since then they’ve rediscovered their mojo and haven’t (legitimately, we’re nonetheless not counting Spurs) misplaced within the league.
Quite a bit has occurred in that point, it feels so much longer in the past than April, that’s for certain.
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s transfer right into a hybrid position elicited a run of seven straight wins and an unlikely late push for a top-four spot.
Whereas finally unsuccessful, the Reds regrouped and replenished their midfield with 4 recent faces to present the supervisor a brand new lease of life.
Sitting only a level behind Man Metropolis with a 3rd of the Premier League season performed is strictly what the physician ordered, and so was the resilient nature of Saturday’s efficiency.
It wouldn’t have taken a lot to enhance upon April’s exhibiting, however what we noticed was evening and day from the facet who took one too many physique blows from their earlier encounter on the Etihad.
Heads dropped when Julian Alvarez levelled the scoring nearly eight months in the past, however Liverpool haven’t felt sorry for themselves in that method since.
Whereas they had been the architects of their very own downfall once more for Erling Haaland’s opener, there was a spirit and a way of power that had been severely missing final time round.
Modifications off the bench made a world of distinction and demonstrated the depth of high quality Liverpool now boast inside the squad, which is really the one means anyone can reside with this Man Metropolis facet.
Religion restored
Make no mistake about it, the Reds are on this title race.
That was a truth earlier than Saturday’s recreation and it will have remained a truth had they suffered defeat by the hands of Guardiola as soon as once more.
Liverpool 2.0 is as a lot in regards to the gamers who’ve been with us on this journey already as it’s in regards to the recent blood that was injected into the midfield over the summer season.
Mohamed Salah‘s tweet the day after the sport advised us all the things we would have liked to know in regards to the return of the mentality monsters: “Not the consequence we needed however we’ll hold preventing.”
Whereas we had been falling over ourselves to inform the world how a lot of level it was, Mo was sat within the dressing room pondering what might need been.
Not the consequence we needed however we’ll hold preventing… pic.twitter.com/I9EW3WRIxG
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) November 26, 2023
They consider they will match Man Metropolis this season and that’s actually all that issues. They proved it on the pitch on Saturday they usually have proved it ever since they had been humbled of their final go to.
We had been apprehensive that the great nature of the midfield surgical procedure would lead us down a path in direction of one other ‘transition’ season, however the proof thus far means that the transition is merely in direction of turning into a greater model of a staff that had been fairly good to start with.
Saturday gave us a glimpse of our development because the 4-1 defeat, however the true take a look at of our resolve might be what comes between now and Man United on December seventeenth.
9 factors from Fulham, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace would put us proper the place we must be no matter what occurs elsewhere.
We are able to win this league, you already know.
