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Liverpool handed Manchester City their first Premier League defeat of the season thanks to a Mohamed Salah strike in an enthralling encounter at Anfield.
The Egyptian raced onto a long pass from Alisson with 14 minutes remaining before slotting past Ederson to give the Reds just their third league win of the season.
City were frustrated to see Phil Foden’s second half goal ruled out following a VAR check for a foul by Erling Haaland in the build-up.
The result leaves Pep Guardiola’s men four points behind league leaders Arsenal, while Liverpool move up to eighth after a much-improved showing.
A high-octane start to the game did not lead to many early chances, with Ilkay Gündogan forcing the first save from either goalkeeper in the 15th minute, but his hopeful strike from 25 metres was easy for Alisson to deal with.
Liverpool’s first opportunity came through Diogo Jota, who could only place his header from a cross by Harvey Elliott straight at Ederson, before Andrew Robertson received the ball on the left of the penalty area after the City stopper had palmed away a James Milner cross, but the Scot fired his effort over the crossbar.
Bernardo Silva sliced a shot into the Kop from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark, while Haaland tested Alisson on two occasions, also seeing a header loop over the bar.
The hosts should have been ahead shortly after the restart when Salah was played through on goal by Elliott, but Ederson got the slightest touch to it to tip the Egyptian’s finish just wide of the right-hand post.
City thought they were ahead moments later when Haaland burst through, forcing a save from Alisson before Foden put the ball in the net on the rebound, but referee Anthony Taylor ruled it out after the VAR asked him to check the monitor, with Haaland having fouled Fabinho in the build-up.
It was Liverpool who took the lead on 76 minutes when Alisson caught a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick before launching it downfield to Salah, who outfoxed Joao Cancelo before finishing calmly past Ederson.
Reds boss Jürgen Klopp was sent to the stands by Taylor late on after reacting furiously to the referee’s refusal to award his team a free-kick, but it did not matter as Liverpool held on for a win that could turn around their slow start to the campaign.
Mount double increases pressure on Gerrard
Mason Mount’s double and a Kepa Arrizabalaga masterclass saw CHELSEA beat Aston Villa 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run under Graham Potter.
Mount scored in each half of Sunday’s Premier League encounter at Villa Park, yet CHELSEA were fortunate to hold their advantage in-between thanks to a dynamite performance from their goalkeeper.
Kepa made a string of wonderful saves before half-time, with his stop from a close-range Danny Ings header the highlight.
Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, will lament errors from Tyrone Mings and Kepa’s opposite number Emiliano Martinez with the pressure growing on Villa’s boss.
Mings made a mess of a clearance to gift Mount the chance to open the scoring six minutes in, with the playmaker calmly slotting past Martinez, but Chelsea had their backs to the wall for much of the first half.
Leon Bailey hit the crossbar with a header and Kepa came to CHELSEA’s salvation with a superb double save, keeping out John McGinn’s strike before tipping Jacob Ramsey’s follow-up onto the post.
Ings hit another rebound against the upright from an offside position in that flurry, and he was thwarted by Kepa 10 minutes later - the Spaniard acrobatically tipping the striker’s header over.
Raheem Sterling hit the bar at the other end before the break, but any hope Villa had was extinguished when Mount’s dipping long-range free-kick - conceded by Mings - dropped in over Martinez, who should have done far better.
A miserable day for Mings concluded with a calf injury, though he battled through to full-time, which was greeted by jeers from the Villa fans who had not already made their exit.
