Bernardo Silva has admitted he feared the Premier League title race “was probably over” before Manchester City’s stunning late comeback at Anfield snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory and reignited their chase of Arsenal.
For 84 minutes on Sunday, it looked like the same old story. Liverpool, inspired by a moment of magic from Dominik Szoboszlai’s 74th minute free kick, were holding firm and poised to deal a potentially fatal blow to City’s title defence. The Kop roared, and a nine-point gap to leaders Arsenal loomed.
But in the kind of twist that defines champions, Silva arrived to sweep home an 84th minute equaliser before Erling Haaland kept his nerve from the spot to complete a smash and grab that cut Arsenal’s lead back to six points.
“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 confessed afterwards. “When I scored, I was happy, but we needed another, and Erling got it.”
The Portuguese midfielder laid bare the desperation in the City camp before the fightback. “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.”
The win ended a worrying run of just one victory in City’s previous six league games. Pep Guardiola, however, refused to get carried away. “Six points is better than nine, but it’s still a lot considering how strong Arsenal are in all departments,” he cautioned. “Thirteen games is a lot in the Premier League… The important thing is to be there and improve.”
The match ended in contentious fashion, with Rayan Cherki’s spectacular long range effort ruled out after the referee pulled play back for a foul by Szoboszlai on Haaland in the build up, a decision that also saw the Liverpool midfielder sent off. Guardiola dismissed the controversy with a shrug: “Common sense, come on. Give a goal, 3-1, Szoboszlai can play and we’re happy.”
For Liverpool boss Arne Slot, it was a brutal lesson in fine margins. “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.”
The result shifts the psychological landscape entirely. What seemed like a procession for Arsenal now has the look of a proper fight. City, written off by many, have shown they still possess the nerve and quality of serial winners. With 13 games to go, the title race is well and truly alive.
