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So for his team’s biggest Premier League game of the season, it was perhaps telling Arne Slot started with none of them.

As in the League Cup triumph at Brighton earlier in the campaign, the Reds boss instead opted for a box midfield with Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as the two false number nines.

The final outcome, and the performance in particular of the former, emphatically suggested Slot once again made the right call.



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While Szoboszlai has long been a favourite with supporters for his tireless work-rate and attitude, the nagging suspicion remains that the Hungarian can make more of an impact in the final third.

This, then, was the perfect stage for the 24-year-old to deliver, teeing up Mohamed Salah for the opening goal before confidently sweeping home the second after the Egyptian returned the favour.

Jones, building on his showing at Villa Park in midweek, was denied his own moment of glory when his second-half strike was wiped off after the narrowest of offside calls against Szoboszlai.

And while their contributions were largely defensive, Ryan Gravenberch was much improved than of late while Alexis Mac Allister grew into the game.

And there in the middle was first-team coach Aaron Briggs, who has doubled up as set-piece expert this season.

While not quite at the level of dead-ball specialists Arsenal, there have been signs in recent weeks of increased creativity from the Reds at corners and free-kicks.

And that paid dividends in the 14th minute when Alexis Mac Allister’s corner in to the near post was fed by Dominik Szoboszlai into the path of Salah to strike in off Nathan Ake.

Only Liverpool’s fourth set-piece goal in the Premier League this season, it caught out City in the manner Pep Guardiola’s side had at Anfield last season in securing a 1-1 draw.

It also invited Salah to move on to 30 goals of which 16 have come away from home in the league, matching a club record that has stood for almost a century.

He has also moved alongside Gordon Hodgson into third place in Liverpool’s all-time scorers list with 241 goals, while his later assist took him to 51 goal contributions in 38 appearances this season

Now, about that new contract...

Defence does the job

Of the achievements from Liverpool here, perhaps the most satisfy was the big fat zero that remained alongside Manchester City’s name on the scoreboard throughout.

Having been a little too easy to score against in recent weeks, here Liverpool battened down the hatches to earn their first Premier League clean sheet at the Etihad since February 2010 and only a third top-flight shutout since the turn of the year.

The absence of City dangerman Erling Haaland undoubtedly helped

But Omar Marmoush loitering with intent and Jeremy Doku giving Trent Alexander-Arnold a tough time on the Liverpool right, the home side enjoyed plenty of possession.

That Alisson Becker barely had a save of note to make, then, was down to two towering performances from skipper Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, ably assisted by those around him

Mohamed Salah did his bit, too.

That the away team had won only six of the 55 previous Premier League clashes between these sides underlined the size of this Liverpool victory
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