Manchester City v Liverpool (2024-25)

General

Players

Manchester City v Liverpool (2024–25)

Manchester City Liverpool 0 2
HT:0–2 Report
Event	Premier League 2024-25
Date	Sunday 23 February 2025
Venue	Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Player of the Match	Mohamed Salah
Referee	Anthony Taylor
Attendance	52,803
Weather	°C ( °F)
← Man City - Real Madrid Liverpool - Aston Villa Man City - Spurs Liverpool - Newcastle Utd →

Manchester City v Liverpool was a match which took place at Etihad Stadium on Sunday 23 February 2025.

Team News

Manchester City

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland faces a late fitness test on the knee problem that prevented him from playing against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Defender John Stones faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and may even require surgery, after limping off at the Bernabeu, while Rodri and Manuel Akanji are long-term absentees.

Liverpool

Liverpool will monitor Cody Gakpo, who has missed the last two matches because of a minor issue, with head coach Arne Slot saying on Thursday the forward's availability would be a "close call".

Conor Bradley is not expected to feature after being forced off against Aston Villa in midweek, while fellow defender Joe Gomez is recovering from hamstring surgery and may only return towards the end of the season.

Match facts

Head-to-head

• Liverpool are vying to win a league game away to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City for the first time.
• The Reds have the chance to claim their third Premier League double against City, having also won both fixtures in the 2005-06 and 2015-16 seasons.
• City's only defeat in their last 15 top-flight home matches against Liverpool was a 4-1 loss on 21 November 2015. That was Jurgen Klopp's first match at the Etihad as Reds boss.

Manchester City

• City have lost 13 games in all competitions this term. It is the highest number of defeats Pep Guardiola has had in a single season during his managerial career.
• Guardiola's side have accumulated 17 points since Christmas (W5, D2, L1), with only Liverpool and Arsenal boasting a better record in that time.
• They have scored 20 goals in six league matches this calendar year. Their shot conversion rate in this run is 24.7%, compared to 9.6% between August and December.
• City have won a league-high 17 points from losing positions this season, one more than Liverpool.
• They are vying to keep back-to-back Premier League clean sheets for the first time this season.
• Ederson has three top-flight assists this season and is vying to become the first goalkeeper to register an assist in three consecutive Premier League appearances. The only other players to do so in back-to-back appearances are Shay Given in 1998 and Pepe Reina in 2009.

Liverpool

• The Reds won 23 of 27 league and cup games under Arne Slot prior to January but have failed to win seven of 14 matches (D4, L3) this calendar year.
• That includes just two victories in eight away games (D3, L3) in 2025.
• Liverpool are unbeaten in 22 top-flight matches (W15, D7), their longest such run since a 44-game streak between January 2019 and February 2020.
• Mohamed Salah's opener at Villa Park on Wednesday was his 15th away league goal this season, the most by a Liverpool player since Gordon Hodgson netted 15 on the road in 1930-31.
• Salah has 15 assists in the Premier League this season, equalling the Liverpool record set by Steve McManaman in 1995-96 and five short of the overall record of 20, registered by Thierry Henry in 2002-03 and Kevin de Bruyne in 2019-20.

Match Report

Liverpool tightened their vice-like grip on this season's Premier League title as they extended their lead to 11 points with a comfortable victory at Manchester City.

The leaders had already seen their position strengthened when Arsenal lost at home to West Ham on Saturday before moving into what looks like an unassailable position with a superb display against the fallen reigning champions.

City opened brightly but were caught cold by a clever Liverpool corner routine after 14 minutes, Mohamed Salah scoring his 30th goal of the season after Dominik Szoboszlai played Alex Mac Allister's delivery into his path.

Salah repaid the compliment eight minutes before the break, playing in a perfectly weighted delivery for Szoboszlai to calmly finish low past City keeper Ederson.

Liverpool were able to close out a hugely significant win without any alarms in the second half, content to protect the advantage they had established in the first 45 minutes.

Liverpool are in the form and mood to wrap up a 20th English title after a commanding, ruthless performance to sink the side who have been their closest Premier League rivals for so long.

City find themselves in reduced circumstances with an ageing squad and injuries to key players such as Rodri, John Stones and Erling Haaland, but Liverpool's dominance was a powerful statement that they have no intention of squandering their position.

Etihad Stadium has not been a happy place for them in recent seasons, Liverpool winning only one of their previous 15 league games there, but the destiny of the points was never in serious doubt once Salah gave them that early lead.

It was inevitable that Salah would spearhead Liverpool in this crucial game as he racked up more incredible numbers. The first goal meant Salah has scored 30 or more goals in five separate seasons for Liverpool, a record he shares with Roger Hunt and Ian Rush.

Szoboszlai was his partner in goals here, the Hungarian giving a powerful display of running from midfield, with captain Virgil van Dijk imperious as he held it all together at the back.

Liverpool were efficiency personified, demonstrating how they have flourished under Slot this season while his City counterpart Pep Guardiola faces a huge rebuilding job.

Slot is too composed to call it, but with Liverpool holding an 11-point lead and having only lost one league game so far this season, he can surely sense the finishing line, even with 11 games left.

Guardiola stood rain-soaked and powerless as Liverpool inflicted more pain on his champions in this season of suffering.

Guardiola's problems continue to pile up with indifferent form, heavy injuries and a once great squad that has been allowed to grow too old together.

The manner in which City were dismissed by Real Madrid in the play-off to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, then were then dealt with in such comfort by Liverpool, means this has all the hallmarks of a watershed week as Guardiola plots his rebuild.

It was a poignant moment when James McAtee replaced Kevin de Bruyne after 67 minutes, the great Belgian afforded a standing ovation despite struggling to exert influence. It was perhaps a recognition that City fans may not have too many more opportunities to demonstrate their appreciation for a player who has served them so magnificently.

It all means Guardiola and City have to adjust their sights downwards for the remainder of the season, trying to ensure they are in the Champions League next season while attempt to salvage such a disappointing campaign in the FA Cup.

Match

Details

23 February 2025 16:30 BST	Manchester City	0–2	Liverpool	Etihad Stadium, Manchester Attendance: 52,803 Referee: Anthony Taylor
		HT:0–2 Report	Salah  14' Szoboszlai  37'

Manchester City

Liverpool

31 Ederson 82 Rico Lewis 45 Abdülkadir Husanov 06 Nathan Aké 77' 24 Joško Gvardiol 17 Kevin De Bruyne 66' 14 Nico González 78' 26 Savinho 47 Phil Foden 11 Jérémy Doku 07 Omar Marmoush 77' Substitutes: 03 Rúben Dias 77' 08 Mateo Kovačić 78' 10 Jack Grealish 18 Stefan Ortega 19 İlkay Gündoğan 77' 20 Bernardo Silva 22 Vitor Reis 27 Matheus Nunes 87 James McAtee 66' Manager: Pep Guardiola

01 Alisson 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold 90+2' 05 Ibrahima Konaté 04 Virgil van Dijk 26 Andrew Robertson 74' 38 Ryan Gravenberch 10 Alexis Mac Allister 11 Mohamed Salah 90+1' 08 Dominik Szoboszlai 17 Curtis Jones 74' 07 Luis Díaz 79' Substitutes: 03 Wataru Endō 74' 09 Darwin Núñez 14 Federico Chiesa 18 Cody Gakpo 79' 19 Harvey Elliott 90+1' 20 Diogo Jota 21 Konstantinos Tsimikas 74' 62 Caoimhín Kelleher 78 Jarell Quansah 90+2' Manager: Arne Slot

Man of the Match: Assistant referees: Gary Beswick Lee Betts Fourth official: Andy Madley VAR: Stuart Attwell Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn

Match rules 90 minutes, no extra time or penalties. Three points awarded to winner, none to loser. One point awarded to each in the event of a draw. Nine named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions

Match Stats

Manchester City	Liverpool

Possession ball
66%	34%

Shots
16	8

Shots on target
5	4

Corners
7	5

Fouls
3	10

See also

• 2024–25 Premier League: Match day 26

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk
• Match report at Premier League.com

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