Liverpool established a five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League by defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at home after Manchester City suffered a fourth straight loss as Brighton & Hove Albion rallied to triumph 2-1 against the champions at home on Saturday.
Arne Slot’s team achieved nine victories in their first 11 league matches, with Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah netting the goals in a clinical showcase of counter-attacking.
City went ahead with Erling Haaland netting his 12th league goal of the season, but late strikes from Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley shocked Pep Guardiola’s team, who head into the international break with plenty to consider.
Liverpool enters the international break with 28 points accrued from 11 matches, while City has 23 points, and Brighton and Hove Albion sits in fourth place with 19 points. Nottingham Forest in third place could reach 22 points if they defeat Newcastle United on Sunday.
Dutchman Slot has had an impressive beginning at Liverpool, securing 15 victories from his first 17 matches in charge after taking over from the seemingly irreplaceable Juergen Klopp.
His approach is more practical than Klopp’s, yet still equally spectacular at times, as demonstrated on Saturday.
Nunez scored the first goal after 20 minutes as Liverpool countered rapidly after an Aston Villa corner. After Leon Bailey knocked over Mohamed Salah, Nunez seized control, rounded Emiliano Martinez, and fired a shot into the net from a tight angle.
Villa, currently experiencing a difficult period this season, were thwarted in their quest for an equaliser by impressive saves from Caoimhin Kelleher but were ultimately defeated when Salah broke free after yet another counter-attack from deep in Liverpool’s half to score elegantly.
“Overall, we dominated the game and netted goals from two counter-attacks, which might not be what we anticipated,” Slot stated. “Margins are tight; we possess a margin, but it’s limited.”
“We will face numerous challenges ahead.”
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva stated following the 4-1 defeat to Sporting in the Champions League midweek that the squad was in a difficult situation.
Despite Haaland’s initial goal at Brighton, the mood soured as they lost control of the match, with Joao Pedro and O’Riley sealing a memorable evening for the Seagulls.
“I will ponder during these ten days.” “Clear our minds, players return in shape, this is the goal,” Guardiola, whose only comparable streak in all competitions occurred at Bayern Munich in 2015 when he experienced three consecutive losses and a penalty shoot-out defeat in the German Cup, informed reporters.
“We attempt to evaluate our performance – four consecutive.” Alright. The query is about the way we are performing. The level we’re performing is quite impressive at times, but we struggle to maintain it.
This marks the first occasion in 18 years that City has lost four consecutive matches across all competitions.
Fulham moved up to seventh place following a 2-0 victory away against London rivals Crystal Palace, with goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Harry Wilson. The hosts had to play with 10 players after Daichi Kamada received a red card for a risky challenge.
Brentford rallied twice to defeat Bournemouth 3-2, powered by two goals from Yoane Wissa.
Wolverhampton Wanderers finally enjoyed a win following a dreadful beginning to the season, defeating fellow bottom-dwellers Southampton 2-0 to move up from last place in the standings.
Pablo Sarabia netted within two minutes — Wolves’ quickest goal in a Premier League game — and Matheus Cunha secured the victory, bringing relief to manager Gary O’Neil.
Wolves climbed to 18th position with six points, while Southampton sits last with four.
Ipswich Town, currently the sole Premier League team without a victory, hold five points before their match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
West Ham United and Everton ended in a tedious 0-0 stalemate at the London Stadium.
