At Anfield, City Sends a Threatening Message to Arsenal

LIVERPOOL, SUNDAY — The dramatic resurgence of Manchester City at Liverpool's home ground, Anfield Stadium, has revitalized the competition for the English Premier League title. Although still trailing six points behind league leaders Arsenal, City has the potential to reverse the momentum, bolstered by their championship experience and the high morale of their squad.

The winning mentality of the team coached by manager Guardiola shone brightly at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, on Monday (9/2/2026) in the early hours of WIB. City returned home with full points, winning 2-1, after initially falling behind due to a spectacular free kick by midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai in the 74th minute. Instead of being downcast, the visiting team managed to rise in the closing moments of the match.

"I think the entire team knows that the title race could end if we lose here. We feel a great need for victory. The hope is just to fight until the end. I am very happy that we were able to turn the situation around because you know how difficult it is to win here," said City captain Bernardo Silva.

After a fierce battle since the kickoff, it was very difficult for City to fall behind due to a goal from a set piece. They were doubted in their ability to respond to Liverpool, who performed very intensely in the second half. Moreover, City's record has been very poor when conceding first this season, having lost four times out of four opportunities.

It is evident that City is struggling to regain control of the game. The resurgence of Erling Haaland and his teammates is purely driven by the desire not to lose and forfeit the title. The equalizing goal finally arrived with six minutes remaining in regular time, courtesy of Silva who capitalized on Haaland's header.

Silva's goal is enough to illustrate the never-give-up mentality of the City squad. The goal actually came from a non-threatening situation. However, Haaland made the difference with his effort to win the aerial duel in the penalty area. A scramble ensued. Silva happened to be in the right position to execute the opportunity.

Haaland's fighting spirit deserves appreciation. According to Guardiola, the condition of the striker declined drastically after halftime. "We experienced some issues with player fatigue in the second half. Erling appeared passive, and that made it difficult for us. However, the spirit of the players was still evident," said Guardiola.

City's second goal was also unremarkable, resulting from a penalty executed by Haaland. The penalty was purely due to a blunder by goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who misjudged the movement of Matheus Nunes. Although it had an element of luck, City deserved that reward due to their intention to continue scoring winning goals until the end of the match.

"The match was a brilliant promotion for the English League. We played very well in the first half and lost a bit of momentum after that. Anfield can indeed feel like that. An outstanding shot from Szoboszlai, but we managed to bounce back led by team captain Bernardo," explained Guardiola, who ultimately broke the poor trend of three away matches without a win.

The city emphasizes that through this victory, they have not given up in the pursuit of the title. The journey is still very long and winding with 13 matches remaining. They are only six points or two victories behind Arsenal. Furthermore, Arsenal still has to visit their home ground, the Etihad Stadium, in mid-April.

Guardiola is not at all concerned about the current situation of being behind in the standings. He has experience leading City to six league titles. Several veteran players, such as Silva and Ruben Dias, are also part of that championship squad. They are clearly advantaged in terms of experience compared to Arsenal, which has not won the league since 2004.

The result at Anfield also provides a moral boost for Guardiola's team. However, Silva reminds his teammates not to become complacent. "Three points here are the same as in other matches. We felt frustrated at the beginning of this year because we did not perform our duties well. We should have been closer to Arsenal (if we had been more consistent)," said Silva.

City has the opportunity to apply more pressure on Arsenal this midweek. They will play first at home against Fulham on Thursday early morning WIB. If they win, City will narrow the gap to three points from Arsenal. Meanwhile, Arsenal will visit Brentford's home ground a day after that match.

On the other hand, Liverpool fell short in many aspects during the match. Virgil van Dijk and his teammates once again revealed issues with focus at the end of the game, a problem that has haunted them throughout the season. This issue has evidently not improved. "We have almost become accustomed to conceding goals in injury time, and it happened again today," said Liverpool Coach Arne Slot.

Liverpool is also confirmed to be without Szoboszlai for the next match at Sunderland's home ground. Szoboszlai received a red card for obstructing Haaland's opportunity to score in the final moments of the match. The goal was initially validated but was later revised by the video assistant referee (VAR). Szoboszlai was deemed to have fouled Haaland first.

VAR did not award a goal to City because Haaland turned and fouled Szoboszlai in the final process of the goal. This decision was detrimental to both teams. City did not receive a third goal, while Liverpool had to lose their best player. Furthermore, after the free kick for City, the hosts no longer had time to launch an attack.

Liverpool's position is becoming increasingly precarious in the current standings. The defending champions are currently in sixth place with 39 points. With Manchester United (44) and Chelsea (43) enjoying positive trends under their respective new coaches, Liverpool is at significant risk of losing a ticket to the Champions League. (AP/REUTERS)