Bernardo Silva feared the Premier League title race was over before Manchester City produced a late comeback to win at Liverpool on Sunday.
Anfield has long been cast as the graveyard of title ambitions, and for 84 minutes on Sunday, it seemed ready to claim another. Instead, it was the stage for a defiant twist as City, staring at the prospect of irrelevance in the championship race, struck twice late on to defeat Liverpool 2-1 and breathe life back into their pursuit of Arsenal.
Trailing to Dominik Szoboszlai’s sumptuous 74th-minute free-kick, City appeared short of answers. The Hungarian’s strike ignited the Kop. But Pep Guardiola’s side have made a habit of warping storylines, and they did so again when Silva arrived to steer in an equaliser with six minutes remaining.
From there, momentum swung sharply. Erling Haaland, largely shackled for much of the afternoon, held his nerve to convert a penalty and complete a turnaround that hauled City back to within six points of leaders Arsenal with 13 games to play.
“For the distance that we have to Arsenal, coming here – it is the toughest place in the Premier League by far – but we needed to go for another goal,” Silva said. “When I scored, I was happy, but we needed another, and Erling got it.
“I feel the whole team knew before the game if we lost it then the title race was probably over. We felt like we needed to win. The hope is there and we are going to fight until the end.”
It was only City’s second victory in seven league matches. Guardiola, however, struck a measured tone.
“Six points is better than nine, but it’s still a lot considering how strong Arsenal are in all departments,” he said. “Thirteen games is a lot in the Premier League. The FA Cup is coming, the final of the Carabao Cup, the Champions League is here. There are many games, injuries, every team playing for something.
“The last 10 games, from my experience, are not a drama but so difficult. The important thing is to be there and improve.”
The contest ended amid controversy. Rayan Cherki thought he had sealed matters with an audacious effort from inside his own half, only for play to be pulled back for a foul by Szoboszlai on Haaland. The Liverpool midfielder was dismissed for a professional foul.
Guardiola shrugged at the decision. “Common sense, come on,” he said. “Give a goal, 3-1, Szoboszlai can play and we’re happy.”
For Arne Slot, Liverpool’s head coach, the frustration was palpable. “It was a fantastic second half,” he said. “You see so much improvement, but the issue is you don’t see the improvement in the league table.”
