It is that time of the season when one slip-up and you are out of the race for the title. And who better than Liverpool know that? When Manchester City hosted Chelsea in the Premier League, fans expected an exciting matchup between two top sides in the country. The emphasis was on Manchester City after Liverpool secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bournemouth. They sat second on the table, three points behind the Anfield-based club. They faced the same side who stopped their march as the unbeaten team in the Premier League. They lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
But revenge, as they call it, was sweet and this was truly enacted by the Citizens. They dominated the game from the word go and managed to thrash Chelsea 6-0. Aguero with yet another hat trick, Sterling with a brace and Gundogan with a tidy finish dumped Chelsea. Manchester City claimed the top position in the table on goal difference, albeit Liverpool have a game in hand. When 2017 PL winners went face-to-face with the 2018 winners, No one could have actually guessed this kind of an outcome. Premier League never fails to amaze you, right? You could never expect what happens next?
Here are the top four things that we learned from the game between Manchester City and Chelsea:
Chelsea was blown away in the first-25 minutes itself: In the summer of 2009 when Manchester United faced Barcelona in the UCL final, Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned some dazzling display by Pep's Barcelona. And this was the closest to it. This was one of the most dominant 25 minutes that you will ever see against a top-notch opponent. And Chelsea played just plain bad. They gave up way too easily. There could have been more goals and the scoreline could have been even worse than this. They had a rather casual approach to the game. Many have expressed serious concerns about Hazard staying at Chelsea next season given this kind of performance continues.
City is in a different league altogether: When two of the top five teams in the league went against each other, it wasn't even a contest. The team from Manchester is on a different level altogether. Marching past tough opponents like fun. Their style of play seems fascinating to a neutral eye. They are arguably the best attacking side in the world. And you could guess it simply by having a look at their bench. Players like Leroy Sane, Riyad Mahrez and David Silva could fit in at any top-club but not City. It will need some exceptional performance by Liverpool to stop them from the Premier League title.
Sarri's time at Chelsea could be over: After Chelsea's woeful outing in Manchester, Sarri confirmed in the press conference that his job was at stake. And this equation cannot be ruled just yet as Chelsea has a track record of changing managers at regular intervals. His side was outclassed at the mid-point in the first half itself. They were not even the second-best on the pitch. This was their heaviest defeat since 1991. And Sarri decided to swap Mateo Kovacic for Ross Barkley. This was a look-a-like change even when his side were 4-0 down after 52 minutes. It was as if he didn't want any change in the proceedings thereafter. There could soon be another vacancy in West London.
Liverpool, are you watching: Such a scoreline against a top-five opponent sends a message in itself to the high-flying Liverpool side. Even when the Citizens were 4-0 up, you could see Pep pushing his players up the field. There is nothing for the taking in the Premier League and Pep knows it. Just a few days ago, Liverpool was 7 points clear. And now the gap is down to zero with a game in hand for Liverpool. They have set the standards pretty high. Any slip-up from Liverpool and the League could be away.
With the final one-third of the season yet to come, the fight for the top-spot has just intensified. And it could just go right down to the wire.
