What Mo Salah said after Etihad victory suggests Liverpool won’t get complacent in title race | OneFootball

Mo Salah won’t be getting carried away with Liverpool’s current position in the Premier League table, judging by comments he made after the 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.

The Reds’ first top-flight triumph at the Etihad Stadium since 2015 has given them an 11-point lead at the summit, prompting numerous pundits to declare the title race effectively over.

That sentiment was shared by the travelling LFC fans who burst into a raucous rendition of “we’re gonna win the league” in stoppage time yesterday evening, but you won’t find any such boisterous declarations from Arne Slot or his players just yet.

Salah makes title race admission

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Salah revelled in doing the double on a Man City side who’ve won the past four Premier Leaguet titles, but admitted that Liverpool haven’t always held their nerve when leading from the front in previous campaigns.

The Egyptian said: “It’s special, to be fair, especially when you’re in the running in the title race. It’s incredible. They have won four [league titles] in a row now. It’s an incredible team.

“Hopefully we just keep calm because sometimes the pressure at the end can get to us, so hopefully we just keep calm and just play our game and try to win each game.”

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Liverpool just need to take care of their own business from here

Salah’s post-match comments might sound like typical diplomacy in public from a footballer, but he isn’t wrong when he mentions about the ‘pressure’ getting to Liverpool in the past.

The Reds were nine poins clear midway through the 2018/19 campaign only to come up one short against Man City, while last season they led the table going into April but were effectively out of the running by the end of that month after a horrendous run of results.

Two key differences this time, though, are that their lead is now into double digits (albeit with Arsenal having a game in hand), and that Pep Guardiola’s imperious champions aren’t in the frame, with the Gunners not boasting the same title-winning pedigree.

That said, Liverpool will be aware that losing first place from here would be an unforgivable collapse, and they must remain determined not to afford their nearest pursuers any renewed hope of catching them.

For Salah and co, it’s a matter of taking care of their own business in a professional manner so that they don’t have to unduly worry about what Mikel Arteta’s side might do.