City have established themselves as serious contenders in the English Premier League title race.
What you should know
The next few weeks will see less talk of Mohamed Salah. He will not be far from anyone's attention.
Manchester City, on the other hand, have found their rhythm at the right time. City have established themselves as serious contenders in the English Premier League title race.
Pep Guardiola's City are just two points behind Arsenal at the top. Arsenal and City both won at the weekend. But the nature of their victories has been different. Unai Emery's Aston Villa are third, just three points behind Arsenal. Villa have won 10 of their last 11 games.
These are the three main points that have been the talk of the town this week.
Salah uncertain
Mohamed Salah's mood was difficult to understand in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton. He entered the field as a substitute. Only last week, the 33-year-old Egyptian forward accused the Premier League champions of neglecting him. He was on the bench for the 3-3 draw with Leeds. He has not been in the starting line-up for three consecutive games.
He was not even in the squad that came out to face Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek. His appearance in the squad against Brighton was a bit of a surprise. After the game, coach Arne Slott said there was nothing to resolve with Salah. It was Salah who provided the ball from a corner for Hugo Ekiti's second goal in that win.
Salah has not publicly apologised for the accusations he made. What is certain is that the rift between coach and player is not over. For now, he is going to play in the African Cup of Nations. Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy also agrees. The situation is the same. What he believes is that although it seems to have been resolved for a short time, the problem is the same. What he says is that in the end, the biggest club is itself.
Arsenal lucky
Arsenal, who are at the top, have achieved a 2-1 victory over bottom side Wolves, which can be called lucky. Both goals in Arsenal's favor were own goals for Wolves. Arsenal completely dominated the game, but Mikel Arteta's team's attack could not be accurate. Arteta also said later, 'We knew it wouldn't be easy. The way we conceded goals, it's not acceptable.'
Arsenal still seem to be the strongest candidate for the title. Perhaps their two-decade wait for the league title is coming to an end. Having said that, if Arsenal had stopped at a draw in that match against Wolves, it would have been a serious accident. Former club player Martin Kevan was right, Arsenal were really lucky in the game. This victory has given the club a big relief.
City getting stronger
City were defeated by Crystal Palace in last year's FA Cup. It was a shocking result for Guardiola. However, this same City has now won a solid 3-0 over the same Palace. This shows that City are serious about the league title this time. The team lost to Liverpool last season. Phil Foden scored one goal and Erling Haaland scored two goals. City will be tested at Christmas.
