Liverpool move 11 points clear at the top after easing past Manchester City

Mohamed Salah was on target again as Liverpool took a significant stride towards their second Premier League title with a 2-0 win over champions Manchester City.

The Egyptian also created another for Dominik Szoboszlai as Arne Slot’s side claimed a crucial victory at the Etihad Stadium which lifted Arne Slot’s side 11 points clear at the top of the table.

City, without the injured Erling Haaland, lacked potency and their defeat underlined their startling decline this season after winning the title for the past four seasons.

Pep Guardiola’s men remain fourth in the table, but qualification for the Champions League is now their relatively modest aim having fallen 20 points behind the Merseysiders.

Liverpool, with confidence restored after some recent hiccups, look well on course to take their crown.

Nervy performances against Everton, Wolves and Aston Villa, had raised questions over how the Merseysiders would cope with the pressure of the run-in.

Yet Arsenal’s unexpected defeat to West Ham on Saturday appeared to give them just the fillip they needed.

They responded with a strong display which blunted City’s attack although, once again, they owed a lot to Salah.

Salah’s goal took him to 30 for the season in all competitions for a fifth time in his Liverpool career and his pass for Szoboszlai meant he had scored and assisted in 11 separate league games this term.

Despite that, aside from a Szoboszlai shot which was blocked by Rico Lewis, City actually started well as they looked to at least land a blow on one of their strongest rivals of recent years.

They won a couple of early corners, Jeremy Doku looked like he could be a handful for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden shot at Alisson Becker.

Yet it was Liverpool who