The truth is Liverpool deserved more against Manchester City than the score-line would suggest. Even if you take away the controversial situation not to award a penalty for Liverpool right at the end, the Reds had plenty of chances to kill the game off.
Luis Diaz scuppered a few of his opportunities. Then there were a couple of chances that fell to Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai as well. On paper, there is no question about it – the Reds dominated Pep Guardiola’s side.
In a way that perhaps Guardiola’s Manchester City has never been dominated before. Definitely not in the Premier League. That is also what the stats seem to suggest. With Liverpool recording a historic metric against Guardiola’s side in the Premier League.
Liverpool historic record vs Pep Guardiola’s side
According to Opta Statistics, the 19 shots Liverpool recorded in the game vs Manchester City was the most a team recorded against the Blues, since 2013 in the Premier League. That means it’s the most any team has recorded against Manchester City since Pep Guardiola has taken charge of the club in 2016.
12 of the 19 shots came in the second-half, which again just demonstrates how dominant that second-half performance was by Liverpool. Klopp’s side simply ran Manchester City ragged and didn’t give Guardiola’s team a single sniff at goal.
It was a performance to be proud of. And to do it without a fully fit Mohamed Salah and several other key players is a testament to the strength of this Liverpool squad and Klopp’s ability as a coach.
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