Advantage City in title race as Ademola Lookman punishes rare Liverpool blank

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool has his penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel. Picture: Getty

For the first time in 35 games, Liverpool failed to score but at the other end of the pitch it was a superb goal from Ademola Lookman that presented Manchester City with the chance to end the year with a nine-point lead when they visit Brentford tonight.

Lookman, a substitute who had been on the field for only three minutes, struck just before the hour with a goal that showed Liverpool strangely susceptible on the counter-attack, although Jurgen Klopp’s men were ultimately left to regret an uncharacteristic error from Mo Salah, who missed a first half penalty.