Liverpool took a major step towards reclaiming the Premier League title with a dominant victory over a lacklustre Manchester City on Sunday.

Mohamed Salah was instrumental in the win, scoring one goal and providing an assist as Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to 11 points, albeit having played one game more.

The Egyptian forward netted his 30th goal of the season before setting up Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool’s second before half-time.

For City, it was another humbling defeat just days after their Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid. Now trailing Liverpool by 20 points, the reigning champions appear to have relinquished their dominance.

Throughout Pep Guardiola’s tenure, Liverpool have often played second fiddle to City in their intense rivalry. However, with Arne Slot at the helm, they now seem poised to match Manchester United’s record of 20 top-flight English titles.

Arsenal’s shock 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday had alleviated pressure on Liverpool, who had recently dropped points against Everton and Aston Villa.

A trip to the Etihad has long been a formidable challenge, but City’s defensive vulnerabilities were glaring, and the absence of the injured Erling Haaland further weakened their attack.

Liverpool, in contrast, had Salah in imperious form, bringing his tally to 25 goals and 16 assists in 27 league appearances. He opened the scoring in the 14th minute, capitalising on a well-executed set-piece routine. Alexis Mac Allister’s corner was flicked on by Szoboszlai into Salah’s path, and his deflected shot wrong-footed Ederson.

City had a goal disallowed after Omar Marmoush was adjudged offside before converting a pass from Phil Foden. Jeremy Doku tormented Trent Alexander-Arnold but failed to produce a decisive end product.

Salah then turned provider, launching a counter-attack and setting up Szoboszlai to double the lead before half-time.

Liverpool could have inflicted further damage in the second half, with Curtis Jones seeing a goal disallowed for offside, and Ederson denying Luis Díaz with a brilliant save. Despite City’s 70 per cent possession, they failed to convert dominance into meaningful chances.

Guardiola’s side remains fourth and are likely to secure Champions League qualification, but their hopes of retaining the Premier League title now seem all but over. Liverpool, meanwhile, look set to be crowned champions once again.