12 outrageous stats from Man City’s 4-1 statement victory over Liverpool
Manchester City produced a statement performance to come from behind and beat old foes Liverpool 4-1. It was an emphatic victory that underlined City’s status as Premier League title contenders.
Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead in the opening stages. The afternoon promised to be difficult for the hosts, who were missing top scorer Erling Haaland, but they responded superbly to the early set-back.
Ten minutes after going behind they were back on level terms after Julian Alvarez put the finishing touch to a well-worked passing move. They continued to grow into the contest and found another gear in the second half.
Pep Guardiola’s side blew Liverpool away with a sensational second-half display, in which Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish all found themselves on the scoresheet.
“The way we played, the way we found our spaces for how they defend. Our intensity, high pressing,” Guardiola told the BBC in his post-match interview.
“Of course, we fight to chase Arsenal and they are not used to being in this position – always in the last few years, they fight to win the Premier League and all the competitions. Last season they were two games from a quadruple and now they are playing to be in the top four – it would be incredibly difficult for us as well.
“As a part of that, you have to perform the way we performed. We were so stable and stuck to the plan. All the players were magnificent.
“Always we have fought against Liverpool, the way they defend, the way they play is so difficult for us. But today the players were magnificent. We played really well in all departments so hats off to our players.
“Tell me one player who didn’t play well? There was no one who was not playing well.”
Here are 12 incredibly impressive stats from Man City’s statement victory over Liverpool:
– Man City registered 3.17xG (expected goals) to Liverpool’s 0.33xG – so the scoreline was ultimately reflective of the balance of chances and the difference between the sides on the day. Data via @xGPhilosophy.
– Before kick-off, analytics predictions website FiveThirtyEight projected City to have a 44% chance on winning the Premier League and Liverpool a 29% chance of qualifying for the top four. After the final whistle, City’s title chances raised to 52% while Liverpool’s Champions League qualification chances fell to 21%. A big result.
– This was the third occasion in the last three years that Guardiola’s City have scored four goals past Klopp’s Liverpool – 4-1 (April 2023), 1-4 (February 2021), 4-0 (July 2020).
– Each member of City’s front five scored or assisted, while Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne did both.
– Rodri completed 91 passes – more than twice as many as any Liverpool player. The Spain international completed more passes alone than Liverpool’s midfield three of Jordan Henderson, Harvey Elliott and Fabinho did combined (86).
Jack Grealish bags a well-deserved goal to give Man City a 4-1 lead!! 🙌
He is in some serious form at the moment! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/56NUIqJnEX
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 1, 2023
– City were utterly dominant. They registered 68.7% possession, 17 shots to Liverpool’s four and eight on target to Liverpool’s one.
– De Bruyne put City ahead just 53 seconds into the second half. It’s the fastest goal that Liverpool have conceded since Sylvain Distin scored after 40 seconds for Everton back in 2011.
– This was City’s 100th Premier League home win under Guardiola. The Catalan coach has needed just 128 matches to make it to that milestone, breaking Arsene Wenger’s record (139 matches) of being the fastest manager to reach that number. Stat via @OptaJoe.
– Man City have maintained their unbeaten record of games that top scorer Erling Haaland has missed this season. Of the seven games in which he hasn’t featured, City have won six and drawn one, scoring 17 goals.
READ: Man City’s ridiculous record in the games Erling Haaland has missed this season
– While City have lost to Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool this season, they also currently boast the best record in the ‘Big Six’ mini-league this season. Guardiola’s side have now beaten each of the top flight’s traditional powerhouses – with Liverpool completing the set after earlier victories over Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United.
– Guardiola’s side have now won seven matches in a row in all competitions. The aggregate scoreline over that run is 24-2. They’ve also scored 17 goals in their last three outings.
– Man City have now won 12 of their 14 Premier League home matches this season, averaging 2.64 points in games at the Etihad. They’ve scored 47 goals across those matches, averaging 3.3 per home league match in 2022-23 so far.
– This was Liverpool’s fifth Premier League defeat of 2023. Klopp’s side have lost 50% of their league outings since the turn of the year. That’s already more league defeats suffered than in the entirety of 2022 (35 games played).
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