RAHEEM STERLING would have found it more humbling than most to applaud Liverpool’s champions on to the Etihad pitch in a guard of honour.
Since forcing an acrimonious move to Manchester City in 2015, the England winger had failed to score in ten competitive meetings with his old club.
Manchester City were rampant as they crushed Liverpool in the Reds’ first game since winning the leagueCredit: Tom Jenkins
Raheem Sterling was sent tumbling to the ground by Joe Gomez for the penaltyCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And the last time they had met in November, he’d lost his rag with Joe Gomez, squaring up to the Liverpool defender on the Anfield pitch – then getting him in a headlock in the St George’s Park canteen after they’d met up with England the following day.
So after that dinner-time dust-up – which led to Sterling being axed for England’s thrashing of Montenegro – here was a chilled dish of revenge.
Gomez was embarrassed by Sterling for City’s first two goals and then hooked by Jurgen Klopp at half-time.
First Gomez floored Sterling for a penalty, which Kevin De Bruyne converted, then he was skinned as his England team-mate netted the second.
For Pep Guardiola, it must have tasted bitter-sweet to witness his team filleting Liverpool, having allowed them to open up an unassailable 23-point gap at the top.
How could a team this good have been left as a dot in Klopp’s rearview mirror?
Still, there was plenty for the City boss to like – not least Phil Foden excelling in elite company, providing a goal and an assist.
This was like a premature Community Shield – meaningless on the face of it, but with the victors keen to see it as a statement for the season ahead.
Klopp may see it as a hungover irrelevance, or perhaps as a useful warning against complacency when they set about defending their title in the autumn.
It was only the second time Liverpool had lost a league match since they last came here 18 months ago.
Liverpool were given a guard of honour by the previous champions as they walked out at the EtihadCredit: PA:Press Association
Kevin De Bruyne rolled the ball into the bottom corner, sending Alisson the wrong wayCredit: PA:Press Association
Guardiola and his coaching team had joined their playing squad to line up and hand a polite round of applause as the champions.
It would have been fascinating to know how many City fans might have applauded Klopp’s men – the rivalry has been intense at terrace level since Liverpool supporters attacked the City team bus before the 2018 Champions League quarter-final.
Instead, there was just a perfunctory announcement from City’s PA man: “We now welcome the Premier League champions Liverpool Football Club with a guard of honour.”
The last time Liverpool visited, in January 2019, the atmosphere had been crackling, the contest thrilling, and City had sneaked a 2-1 victory which ended up being decisive in last season’s title race.
This time, the behind-closed-doors experience was especially weird – to witness two of the finest teams on the planet, competing fiercely and at high tempo, in near silence was a strange kind of voyeurism.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp fumes at Geoff Shreeves after Man City thrash newly-crowned champs 4-0
Klopp’s men could have been forgiven for being on the pop for the previous seven days – the rest of their city seemed to have been.
Yet this is not the great Liverpool team of the 1970s and 80s – who drank and caroused as wholeheartedly as they played – many of Klopp’s side are teetotal and they were motivated enough to make a brisk start.
Having taken City’s title, they were after their Premier League record of 100 points – and they must now win five of their final six matches to overhaul that mark.
Within five minutes, Salah chested down and forced Ederson into an athletic save, with Roberto Firmino failing to snaffle up the afters.
Sterling made it 2-0 as he cut in from the left and finished inside the near postCredit: Reuters
Phil Foden lifted the ball over the Brazilian stopper to ensure the previous champions led by three at the breakCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Then, Firmino slipped in Salah, who walloped one against the post with Ederson well beaten.
Yet City had also been lively in attack and, had Gabriel Jesus been able to stay onside, they might have had a couple before the breakthrough arrived on 24 minutes.
Sterling, with his back to his old sparring partner Gomez, wriggled around him artfully and was wrestled to the floor by the Liverpool defender.
Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot and De Bruyne – who has comprehensively ended City’s penalty phobia – sent Allison the wrong way.
De Bruyne, as if personally offended by that guard of honour, produced a pearler of a pass but Jesus wasted the chance.
It was high-tempo stuff all round, with Ederson having to charge out of his area to tackle Salah, who’d been released by Fabinho.
The second goal was a classic Manchester City counter-attacking effort, ending with an angled pass from Foden to Sterling, who cut inside Gomez and finished unfussily.
Then came Foden’s moment, a cute one-two with De Bruyne and a thumping finish over Allison.
After the interval, Sterling scurried through and had a shot deflected wide, then Foden’s shot was cleared off the line by Virgil van Dijk.
Kyle Walker upended Sadio Mane – inches away from conceding a penalty – but City soon made it four.
This time, De Bruyne’s cute pass allowed Sterling to cut inside Andy Robertson and shoot, with Liverpool sub Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain diverting into his own net as he attempted to clear.
Riyad Mahrez appeared to have added a brilliant solo goal deep in injury-time – but VAR scrubbed it out for a handball by Foden.
Still, that guard of honour had been followed by a display of magnificent disrespect.
It was brutal from City, but was it relevant? We must wait until next season to find out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could only turn the ball into his own net for the fourthCredit: Reuters
It was the worst Liverpool defeat in the Premier League since a 5-0 thumping at the Etihad in 2017Credit: PA:Press Association
Man City give Liverpool a guard of honour at the Etihad after losing Premier League title to bitter rivals
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
