Jack Grealish shows there's more to Man City than Erling Haaland by starring in win vs. Liverpool

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City kept the pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race with a dominant 4-1 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool went ahead against the run of play through Mohamed Salah in the first half but City equalised before half-time thanks to Julian Alvarez's 13th goal of the season. When Kevin De Bruyne put Pep Guardiola's side in front moments after the break, there was only going to be one winner.

Ilkay Gundogan made it 3-1 with a close-range finish before Jack Grealish made it 4-1 as City closed the gap at the top of the table to five points.

Rapid reaction

1. No Haaland, no problem as City keep pressure on Arsenal

Discussing Erling Haaland's injury at his news conference on Friday, Guardiola made a point of saying that City without the 42-goal striker "are not worse, just different."

It helps, of course, when you've got a player like Alvarez to come in but with Haaland stuck in the stands because of a groin injury, Liverpool were swept aside and Guardiola was proved right.

Alvarez scored one and was involved in two others while Grealish and De Bruyne each got a goal and an assist to show that City's attack is not just about one man -- regardless of how many goals the Norway international scores and records he breaks.

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Guardiola doesn't care who scores as long as someone does and he'll be far more concerned with the fact that a difficult game in the title race has been won and the pressure, for now, is back on Arsenal.

Worryingly for Mikel Arteta and his players, City look to be starting one of their ominous runs. It's now seven consecutive wins in all competitions and four league wins in a row for the first time this season. They've also scored 17 goals in their past three games and conceded one in their past six. Arsenal have a fight on their hands.

2. Grealish quietly turning into Guardiola's key man

Grealish didn't start when Liverpool visited the Etihad last season but there was never any chance that he would miss out this time. Guardiola used him sparingly in his first year following his British-record £100 million move from Aston Villa in 2021 but, now into his second season, he's a regular in the team.

With the focus more often than not on Haaland, Grealish's development has gone under the radar but he's started 13 of City's last 15 games and against Liverpool he was the main man in a 60-second spell which turned the game.

With Liverpool already leading 1-0, Salah raced through followed by Diogo Jota. As Salah tried to square his pass for his teammate to tap in a second, Grealish ended a 40-yard sprint to get a vital toe on the ball to nudge it back to Ederson. He jogged back up the pitch through a sea of high-fives but was back in position quickly enough to cross for Alvarez to get City's equaliser. To top it off, he got on the end of De Bruyne's cross to make it 4-1 in the second half.

City are facing a crucial month with games against Arsenal and Bayern Munich to follow, and Grealish is one of the few players sure to start them all.

3. Liverpool's away form will cost them Champions League football

There aren't many harder games in the Premier League than away at City but Liverpool need to find a way to win on their travels if they're going to finish in the top four. Klopp's side have won just three of their 14 league games away from Anfield this term and have a worse away record this season than Southampton and Leicester City, who are both in the bottom four.

With turmoil at Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United starting to struggle, Champions League qualification is still there for the taking but winning their remaining games at Anfield is unlikely to be enough to get over the line. Liverpool have got five away games left against Chelsea, West Ham United, Leeds United, Leicester and Southampton and they cannot afford many more slip-ups.

They've followed up the 7-0 win over Manchester United with successive defeats to Bournemouth, Real Madrid and City and the next two weeks could now make or break their season. They start with a trip to Chelsea on Tuesday and then face leaders Arsenal on Sunday. A week later, they travel to Leeds -- themselves battling relegation -- and by then the Champions League will either be in view or drifting out of reach.

Best and worst performers

BEST

Julian Alvarez, Manchester City: Stepped up in place of Haaland, scoring the equaliser and getting involved in City's second and third goals.

Jack Grealish, Manchester City: Made a crucial block at one end and set up City's equaliser at the other.

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: Clinical finish to put Liverpool in front and has now scored in four games against City this season.

WORST

Fabinho, Liverpool: Overrun by a City midfield which also included John Stones adding an extra body from right-back.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool: Tried his best to kick Grealish out of the game but the City man still won their duel down Liverpool's right.

Alisson, Liverpool: The Liverpool goalkeeper probably should have got a hand on the cross which found its way to De Bruyne for the Belgian's goal.

Highlights and notable moments

It was a worrying moment for Man City fans and millions of fantasy soccer managers out there when it was confirmed that Erling Haaland was not even in the matchday squad to face Liverpool.