EPL Review: Liverpool plunge Man City into existential crisis

Following every weekend of Premier League action, theScore examines the most important developments and biggest talking points to emerge from the slate of matches. Below, we dissect Matchweek 13 of the 2024-25 season.

Does Guardiola have any answers?

Midway through Liverpool's otherwise dominant 2-0 win over Manchester City, the champions finally emerged from the rubble of an utterly one-sided opening half-hour with the ball. A lifeline was suddenly up for grabs. Liverpool had missed several chances to make it a blowout and began to retreat into their own end. But the opportunity came and went without much ado. City couldn't summon anything. They had 63% of possession between their first attempt on goal in the 38th minute and Mohamed Salah's game-clinching 78th-minute penalty but couldn't get a shot on target in that time. They couldn't disturb Liverpool, even as the hosts challenged them to do so.

Guardiola tried to inspire change beforehand, dropping Ederson for backup 'keeper Stefan Ortega and defender Josko Gvardiol for Nathan Ake. Removing Ederson and Gvardiol from the firing line seemed like a responsible choice; their errors precipitated at least a couple of City's recent losses.

Neither Ortega nor Ake could reset the side. Ortega conceded a penalty when he was left all alone with two Liverpool players, while Ake did his best to resist the press on his own. They just couldn't prevent the mistakes that have cost City over the past five weeks from repeating themselves here. They gave away the ball cheaply, attempted low-percentage passes at the wrong time, and committed silly challenges early on. The self-belief that made City seem unstoppable in previous years deserted them yet again.

Guardiola said afterward that City will have to hit the reset button and start from scratch. But he's rarely had to do that with any team he's coached. He's not used to doing something so drastic midseason. And he's never had to rethink his entire approach amid such a startling downturn. City haven't won in seven games, and it's not unreasonable to think they could lose many more before the end of the season. They face sixth-placed Nottingham Forest on Wednesday and then have a tough run of fixtures against Juventus, Manchester United, and Aston Villa. That leads them like a pig to slaughter into the meat grinder that is the festive period, which is uncompromising at the best of times.

Now is probably the worst time to have an existential crisis.

Quick free-kicks 📝

Statement win for Amorim's United

Ruben Amorim's angry reactions were telling at the start of Manchester United's clash against Everton. With the visitors regularly venturing into United's half, Amorim went ballistic on a few of his players for underperforming in one of the most winnable games of the season. His patience was clearly running out just three matches into his United career. But after playing like Erik ten Hag's timid side to start the match, United started to show signs that Amorim's philosophies were taking hold. Amad Diallo was outstanding, while Joshua Zirkzee - a target of one of Amorim's early outbursts - ended his 17-game drought with a brace in United's biggest league win since 2021. The next test for Amorim's United is performing just as well against better opponents than relegation-threatened teams like Everton.

If at first you don't succeed ...

Daniel Munoz showed the power of persistence Saturday. The Colombian missed two glorious chances in the first half against Newcastle, one an open-net sitter with his left foot on the counterattack, the other a close-range tap-in denied on the goal line by a diving Dan Burn. But the Crystal Palace wing-back wasn't deterred. He kept taking opportunities to creep in at the back post, and it paid dividends when he finally scored his first Premier League goal, a 94th-minute equalizer that got Palace out of the drop zone. "He scored the most difficult chance," manager Oliver Glasner said after the 1-1 draw, according to Yahoo Sports' Bobby Manzi. "This shows his character, the character of the team, and the character of all of us."

Kluivert holds his nerve

Penalties often get dismissed when looking at a player's body of work. They're the easiest chances in the game to convert - you really shouldn't be squandering a free attempt from 12 yards out. And yet, so many do. Justin Kluivert had no such trouble Saturday, though, becoming the first player in the Premier League era to convert three spot-kicks in the same game. That hasn't happened in England's top flight since 1957. This was a showcase of mental fortitude from the Bournemouth forward as much as anything. Mind games are a key part of penalties, which is why many teams use different takers if they get multiple opportunities from the spot within a match. But Kluivert didn't get in his own head trying to outwit Wolves' Jose Sa - and made history.

Brentford love home cooking

The Gtech Community Stadium is a fortress. Brentford have been the best home team in the league so far this season, racking up more points on their own turf than any club. Thomas Frank's men are pouring it on against everyone who visits west London. They're unbeaten in seven home matches, winning six of those games. The Bees' 4-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday, powered by a hat-trick from Kevin Schade, gave them 16 goals in their last four home games in the Premier League (all wins). The tests get tougher in the new year - Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool make the trip in January. But Brentford's explosive attack, backed by boisterous support, can cause problems for anyone.

RvN has huge task on his hands

One person in attendance at the Gtech on Saturday who likely didn't enjoy what he saw was Ruud van Nistelrooy. Watching from the stands just one day after being named Leicester manager, the Dutchman looked on as his new team fell apart after scoring the opening goal. Jamie Vardy, now 37, continues to provide production up front, and Facundo Buonanotte, on loan from Brighton, is making the leap, but there's little else to be excited about right now. The defense, which hasn't kept a clean sheet since Oct. 5, is slow and susceptible, while a lack of playmakers in central midfield puts all the burden on the aforementioned attack-minded players. There's plenty for the former Manchester United interim boss to fix.

Star performer 🌟

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

The Premier League record for assists in a single season is jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, who each recorded 20 helpers in 2002-03 and 2019-20, respectively. That mark is in serious jeopardy of being eclipsed.

Saka is already up to 10 assists in the league this season after another terrific display in Arsenal's 5-2 dismissal of a woeful West Ham United side. He's played just 12 matches. Saka set up two goals against the Hammers, won his team a penalty with crafty footwork inside the area, and converted another spot-kick that he himself helped earn.

Some may scoff and claim the English winger inflates his numbers because he takes set pieces, an area where Arsenal are more lethal than any team in the league; indeed, one of his assists Saturday was a corner kick that Gabriel Magalhaes headed home. But that would be doing him a disservice. One of the reasons Arsenal have scored 20 goals from the corners since the start of last season - more than any team - is because of Saka's wicked swinging delivery, which causes instant havoc. With Martin Odegaard back and looking to feed Saka at every chance, Arsenal are humming again after a recent blip.

If Saka does eclipse the assist record shared by Henry and De Bruyne, he'll be hoping for a slightly different outcome to Arsenal's season; neither Henry nor De Bruyne won the Premier League title in their record-setting campaigns.

Best XI 😎

(Courtesy: FotMob)

Highlight of the weekend 🎥

Justin Kluivert's historic hat-trick of penalties hogged all the headlines, but teammate Milos Kerkez scored the goal of the weekend with a left-footed rocket off a sweeping team move.

Stat of the weekend 🔢

Arsenal have given traveling fans plenty to cheer about in 2024.

Social media moment 📱

Pep Guardiola channeled his inner Jose Mourinho with the pettiest of replies to chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" during Manchester City's loss to Liverpool. "All of the stadiums want to sack me, starting with Brighton," he said. "Maybe they're right. Maybe I must be sacked for the result that we have, but I didn't expect (that) at Anfield. ... I didn't expect (it) from the people from Liverpool. But it's fine."

Where we stand 👀

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