Arne Slot tactically outclassed Pep Guardiola during Liverpool's 2-0 win against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday and effectively eliminated the champions from the title race, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
The Merseysiders' victory meant that they extended their lead at the summit of the Premier League to nine points, and they are also now 11 points ahead of the Cityzens.
Liverpool might have only won 2-0, but their performance was worthy of a more resounding scoreline considering the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah all missed good opportunities.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Reds' display was the tactical nous of Slot and his players, and Lynch was keen to praise the Dutch manager, telling Sports Mole: "I think it is the best and the most complete performance we've seen so far.
"Both halves of the game, [Liverpool] completely dominated but in totally different ways. And that speaks to the tactical versatility of the manager, the way he's got the players on board with what he wants to do."
First half
© Imago
One of the most talked about differences between Jurgen Klopp and Slot has been the Dutchman's desire to assert greater control over opponents, with Liverpool often taking longer in possession and being more measured out of possession this term than they have been in previous seasons.
It would not be unfair to suggest that the term 'control' has been somewhat overused when discussing Slot's style of play, especially considering the current iteration of Liverpool still share many similarities with Klopp's teams.
During their match on Sunday, Liverpool were relentless in the opening 20 minutes, causing Man City to lose possession a number of times in dangerous areas before launching counter-attacks.
In fact, the hosts produced 12 high turnovers and four shot-ending high turnovers throughout the game, which was the joint most they have managed against any of Guardiola's City sides.
Additionally, Liverpool's 18 shots produced 3.35 xG and was just the second time in recorded Premier League history that City have conceded three or more xG in a single match.
When speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch noted the similarities between the Reds' first-half showing and the style seen under Klopp, saying: "[City would have liked] to play their football, quieten down the crowd, keep possession, try and starve Liverpool and build some momentum and confidence within themselves.
"But they just weren't allowed to do that. Liverpool absolutely burst out the traps - it was very similar to Klopp football.
"[Liverpool] ran them off the park and kept creating those high turnovers. That's where all the opportunities were coming from."
Second half
© Imago
Interestingly, Liverpool accumulated 53% possession in the first half but only mustered 34% possession in the second 45 minutes.
This was partly because of the changes that Guardiola made to his team, but was largely as a result of Slot's decision to position his side deeper.
While the champions were able to get closer to the box, they still created very few opportunities in the final third, with their best chance coming after an unusual error by Van Dijk in the 83rd minute.
Some labelled the performance as reminiscent of Jose Mourinho teams of the past like Chelsea, who were famed for their ability to hold onto narrow leads and see games out.
Lynch was delighted with the Reds tactical acumen, telling Sports Mole: "What I loved about the performance is that the second half was completely different. They were willing to say 'we can't go at 100 miles an hour for 90 minutes, it's okay to let them have the ball a little bit'.
"In the second half, although possession completely switched towards City's favour, Liverpool were still the ones creating all the big chances. They weren't giving up anything at all chance-wise except that one mistake [by Van Dijk].
"[Slot] might take this approach in one game, this approach in a different game. It's in the same game against elite-level opposition. And he just took [City] apart in two completely different ways, so I thought that was hugely impressive."
Sports Mole editor Barney Corkhill spoke with Liverpool expert David Lynch to discuss the Reds' victory against Manchester City on Sunday, as well as the tactical brilliance Reds boss Arne Slot.
Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion.
Lewis Nolan
