Manchester City’s victory over Watford on Saturday afternoon will not be a shock to many, although the consequences of the result may have greater consequences than might be expected.
Defeating the Hornets 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium, City moved four points to the top of the Premier League and issued another reminder to Liverpool that they will not give an inch from now until the end of the season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have shown a strong fighting spirit to return to the title race in recent months, which began after a 2-2 draw away to Chelsea in early January and has not wavered since.
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The Reds gradually reduced the gap to first place, although they remained ahead of City in one key division for several weeks: a goal difference. All of Diogo Hota, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have scored 14 or more goals in the Premier League this campaign, and meanwhile reliable defensive duo Joel Matip and Virgil van Dyke have helped limit opportunities at the other end of the field.
Not since the 2012/13 season, Liverpool have not surpassed the Blues during a top-level campaign, although the Reds are the leaders in the last third of the field this term. City’s inability to replace Sergio Aguero has certainly stifled their ability to score, with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden serving as unorthodox fake nines to make up for the striker’s lack of results.
But now City have just three goals out of 83 for the Reds in the Premier League in the 2021/22 season, after hitting Watford for five on Saturday. It also means that the reigning champions are now lagging behind Liverpool with a total goal difference of just three, which could be key in the coming weeks.
Recognizing how his team needs to do more to make small profits against Klopp’s men, Guardiola admitted after a 2-0 away win at Burnley earlier this month that this is an area his team has failed to do. “We had two or three chances to score and kill the game and take more for our goal difference against Liverpool, but after an international break it is not always certain how the players will return,” he said of the City’s lower record.
In the race for the title, which seems capable of reaching the final day, the smallest details can make the biggest difference when dictating who will strike the killer blow. There is every chance that both teams will be tied for points in the final match of the exhausting schedule of the league, as Liverpool hopes to avoid a painful scenario of repetition at the end of the 2018/19 season.
The goal difference would be the deciding factor if there is nothing to divide the countries after the end of the league calendar, which makes it even more important that the Reds do not allow City to overtake in this department.
Few will forget how the Blues secured their first Premier League crown a decade ago, snatching the title from bitter rival Manchester United with the kind assistance of the winner for Aguero against QPR. Both clubs finished the 2011/12 campaign with 89 points each, with a goal difference of eight, leading Roberto Mancini’s men to history.
The Argentine’s goal remains an iconic moment in the English match, although Liverpool will not want to experience the disgusting feeling of seeing hopes for the title fade in the most brutal circumstances.
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