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MANCHESTER CITY BEAT LIVERPOOL TO END 18-YEAR ANFIELD HOODOO

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Manchester City ended an 18-year wait to beat Liverpool at Anfield in style with a 4-1 win on Sunday (Feb 7) to take a firm grip on the Premier League title race.

Ilkay Gundogan scored twice and missed a penalty as Pep Guardiola’s men moved five points clear of Manchester United, with a game in hand to come, at the top of the table.

A third consecutive home defeat leaves Liverpool 10 points off the top in fourth, having also played a game more than City.

Raheem Sterling and the outstanding Phil Foden were also on target for the visitors on a day to forget for Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who was at fault for three of City’s goals.

After a club record-breaking run of 68 league games unbeaten at Anfield, Liverpool have now lost three consecutive home league games for the first time since 1963.

The margin of defeat was also the Reds’ biggest in the Premier League era as City landed a knockout blow to their title defence.

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City’s club record run of 14 consecutive wins, 10 of which have come in the league, has seen them pull away from the pack at the top of the table from what seemed a wide-open title race just a few weeks ago.

That run is reminiscent of the City and Liverpool sides at their best over the past three seasons as they have ran up record points tallies in combining to win the last three league titles.

However, Liverpool appear to have run out of gas in an injury-hit campaign after ending a 30-year wait to win a league title by taking City’s crown as champions last season.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp again paired midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson together at centre-back, despite new loan signing Ozan Kabak being available on the bench.

The Liverpool backline had been rarely tested until Sterling ran at them eight minutes before the break and the former Reds winger was upended by Fabinho.

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Kevin De Bruyne missed a penalty for City when the sides met earlier in the season, while Riyad Mahrez blazed over from the spot in a 0-0 draw at Anfield in 2018 – the only time Guardiola had previously avoided defeat away to Liverpool as City manager.

The Catalan threw his arms up in disgust as Gundogan also failed to hit the target as his spot-kick flew well over the bar.

Not for the first time in City’s fine run, Guardiola started without a recognised striker, but a half-time tinkering of his formation to push Bernardo Silva closer to Foden in attack paid immediate dividends.

Another purposeful burst from Sterling fed Foden and after his low shot was saved by Alisson, Gundogan this time made no mistake on the rebound to score his seventh goal in 11 league games.

City had conceded just twice in their 13 league games, thanks in large part to the formidable partnership of Ruben Dias and John Stones in central defence.

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In contrast, Liverpool had not scored at Anfield in over six hours until a rare error from Dias handed the champions a lifeline just after the hour mark.

The Portuguese’s attempted clearance was blocked by Mohamed Salah, who was then pulled down by Dias.

Salah has not missed a penalty for Liverpool since 2017 and made no mistake when he fired straight down the middle.

But Liverpool could not build on that reprieve as the normally dependable Alisson gifted away two goals in comical fashion.

The Brazilian cleared the ball straight to Foden, who wriggled clear inside the area before squaring for Gundogan to tap home his second off the underside of the bar.

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Seconds later, Alisson’s confidence seemed to have gone as another wayward attempted clearance picked out a City player as this time Silva crossed for Sterling to score his first goal at Anfield since leaving Liverpool six years ago.

Foden then completed the rout and an outstanding personal performance with a blistering shot seven minutes from time that also escaped Alisson’s grasp.

-AFP

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Salah signs new deal as Liverpool icon eyes final career chapter

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Egypt Face Anxious Wait Over Salah Injury After Ghana Draw -

Egyptian outlet, Ahram, has reported that Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with Liverpool, extending his stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season as he prepares for what could be the final chapter of a storied career with the club.

While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, British media reports indicate the 32-year-old forward has signed a two-year extension, keeping him at the club until at least 2027.

Salah, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, has become a modern-day icon at Anfield.

The Egyptian international has scored 243 goals in 394 appearances—third on the club’s all-time scorers list—and has helped the Reds secure seven major trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.

“I had my best years here,” Salah told the club’s website. “Hopefully it’s going to be 10. I signed because I believe we can still win big trophies together.”

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He has maintained his prolific form this season, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. His 27 Premier League goals currently lead the division.

During his time with Liverpool, Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and claimed two FWA Footballer of the Year awards.

Now entering the latter stages of his career, Salah remains focused on adding more silverware to his collection and further cementing his legacy at Liverpool.

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Leicester’s 15-year-old debutant Monga wears blank shirt over gambling sponsor rule

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Premier League - Leicester City v Newcastle United - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - April 7, 2025 Leicester City's Jeremy Monga after the match REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga, who became the second-youngest Premier League player when he made his senior debut in Monday’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United, had to wear a blank shirt because it is sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.

Britain’s Gambling Act 2005, which underwent a review in 2020, prohibits players under 18 from wearing kits displaying gambling sponsors. Monga, an England U16 international, made his senior debut at 15 years 271 days old.

Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri remains the youngest Premier League player in history, having debuted in the competition when he was 90 days younger than Monga.

Leicester, who suffered an eighth straight loss in the league without scoring a goal, are 19th in the standings, 15 points below the safety zone.

-Reuters

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Players criticised for ‘love-in’ after tepid Manchester derby

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 Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - April 6, 2025 Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly in action REUTERS/Peter Powell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED

Manchester United and Manchester City players came under fire for their amiable hugs and handshakes after playing out an entirely forgettable 0-0 Premier League derby draw at Old Trafford on Sunday.

In a match between teams limping through disappointing seasons, City failed to leapfrog Chelsea in their bid for Champions League qualification and remained fifth in the table while United languished in 13th place.

Pundits said the friendly post-game scenes were an indication of a lack of passion.

“I think the congratulations and love-in that I’m watching says both teams are happy with a 0-0,” former United captain Gary Neville said on Sky Sports. “The best Man City and Man United teams would be very disappointed with the way they’ve approached the end of that game.

“It looks like it’s Sunday afternoon and they’re going to go for a roast dinner together now.”

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Former United midfielder Roy Keane agreed.

“They get interviewed after as if a draw isn’t too bad,” Keane said. “A draw doesn’t get you anywhere fast. This is not enough, this isn’t good enough.”

United manager Ruben Amorim shrugged off the comments with a smile.

“I understand that Gary Neville is critical about everything,” he said. “And then I understand that in the moment we are doing the worst (United) season in history. Manchester City who won everything in the past this season are struggling. So we are not in the best moments to give the best spectacle to every fan.

“And then when we are not fighting for the big things, of course, it’s different. You have to look at the context of the game, and I understand the critical aspect of the players that played in this game in a different way (such as Neville and Keane), because they were fighting every time for the titles, so it’s a different context.”

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The mood was not entirely convivial, however, with

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola unhappy about the boorish chants by United fans aimed at his midfielder Phil Foden.

“A lack of class, but it is not United, it is the people,” Guardiola said. “We are so exposed, people who are now on the screen in world football – managers, owners and football players, especially.

“And, honestly, I don’t understand the mind of people involving the name of Phil’s mum in that. So it’s a lack of integrity, a lack of class and they should be ashamed. But it is what it is, so it’s happening everywhere, I would say, not just in UK.”

Guardiola said he was not concerned about Champions League qualification.

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“Eight games. Crystal Palace (their next game on Saturday). We go for it,” he said. “I’d prefer to have 10 more points or 12 more points. In the previous season, there were five, six or seven games left, we were already fine, but it’s what it is.”

-Reuters

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