Liverpool defeated stubborn Southampton to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday after Manchester City’s stunning 4-0 humbling at home to Tottenham on Saturday.
Ruben Amorim’s much-anticipated debut as Manchester United manager fell flat in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town to leave the Red Devils still languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Below are three talking points from the Premier League over the weekend:
Man 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.
Hoping for some home comforts on their return to the Etihad Stadium, where they had not lost for two years, City were blown away by a Spurs side that had lost 2-1 at home to Ipswich in their previous outing.
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.
Guardiola suffers 5th straight defeat for first time as Spurs thrash Man City 4-0
City’s only success at Anfield since 2003 came behind closed doors during coronavirus restrictions.
Salah keeps Liverpool on track
Gifted the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table, Liverpool were in danger of an unexpected slip-up from Arne Slot’s juggernaut at St Mary’s.
The Reds’ hitherto miserly defence conceded twice either side of half-time to allow bottom-of-the-table Saints to take a shock 2-1 lead.
In their moment of need, Mohamed Salah again stepped forward to continue his superb start to the season and deliver another three points for Liverpool.
The Egyptian pounced on an error from Alex McCarthy to equalise 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, AFP reported.
But Salah, who reportedly earns a £350,000-a-week ($439,000) salary, is doing everything he can to prove he is deserving of another deal despite turning 32 earlier this year.
Amorim 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.
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Omari Hutchinson’s fine strike earned a deserved point for Kieran McKenna’s men, who remain in the relegation zone, and they could easily have had a famous victory to celebrate but for some smart saves from 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.
After not dropping a single point in the league with Sporting this season prior to his move to Old Trafford, the 39-year-old already has a taste of the mammoth challenge he faces to make United title contenders again.
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