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Arne Slot demanded an encore of Liverpool’s display versus Real Madrid as the Premier League champions face Manchester City on Sunday. For Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday, read Erling Haaland on Sunday. Shutting down another of the world's best attackers, and keeping a third clean sheet in a row, could strengthen the manager's declaration that Liverpool are still in the chase for the biggest prizes.

Perfect Remedy for Recent Woes

Their European win over Xabi Alonso’s La Liga pace-setters, who had 13 wins from 14 games prior to coming at Anfield, was the perfect remedy for a Liverpool team looking to heal the wounds of a difficult spell of Slot’s reign. It was also perfect preparation for what awaits at the Etihad Stadium: a rival that prefers to attack, that will not sit in a defensive block and carries an clear and dangerous attacking prowess.

“It will be similar a little bit,” said Virgil van Dijk, who dominated Haaland at Anfield last season. “We're up against a very in-form team like today and a striker, like today, who was on fire. When that happens you have to be spot-on and I think we showed we were good as a team defensively.”

Reasons for Success

The manager's reasons for why things went right against Madrid – and Aston Villa last weekend – were consistent with his explanations for the earlier struggles during a run of six defeats in seven matches. More recovery time, avoiding early goals, and better conditioning of players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley following disrupted preparations played a part. This supported his earlier points and decision to prioritize less the Carabao Cup by fielding a weakened squad against Crystal Palace.

• The comeback of last season’s midfield core of Dominik Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch boosted the defense to Liverpool’s defense.
• The welcome reappearance at full-back of Andy Robertson, who has started the last three victories, brought composure and leadership to a defence.
• The German playmaker impressed again in the Champions League but not in the No 10 role he usually plays in the Premier League.

Szoboszlai’s Influence

Once more, Szoboszlai served as Liverpool’s engine in the centre. The Hungary captain is excelling currently and has established himself as a leader in Slot’s side.

“What you see is what you get from Dom,” commented Van Dijk. “He is very important. The work rate he brings on the pitch is remarkable, the quality that he has is exceptional and he is developing with every outing.”

Next Challenge

Szoboszlai started in attack with Curtis Jones and found the net at the Etihad last season as Slot caught City cold by adopting a 4-2-2-2. That win in February took Liverpool 11 points clear at the summit with 11 games to play. On Sunday they will be playing catch-up but, as the manager emphasized after beating Real, there is plenty of road left for Liverpool to mount a comeback.