Mourinho: "City are capable of winning seven, eight, nine matches in a row, but I can't see how Liverpool can lose this advantage of nine points to them"
Tuesday 12 November 2019 09:40, UK
Liverpool are the "complete puzzle" who will not relinquish their stranglehold on a first Premier League title, according to Jose Mourinho.
Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after defeating Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield.
No team has started better in the top division than Liverpool this season, with their 34 points from 12 games matching Manchester City during the 2017/18 campaign.
The Liverpool side of 1990/91 did not go on to win the title, but Mourinho believes Jurgen Klopp's team will end their 30-year wait to be crowned champions.
He said: "If you are behind [in the title race], you have to feel like you can reach them. If you are top of the league with a big advantage, you have to feel like it is not over.
"But I am not there, I'm here. And here, from my position, I think it's done unless something dramatic happens in terms of an injury situation that breaks the team.
"But I think the team is a complete puzzle. I feel the way they play is adapted to the qualities of the players.
"City are capable of winning seven, eight, nine matches in a row, but I can't see how Liverpool can lose this advantage of nine points to them."
Roy Keane told Sky Sports: "I'm not a betting man, but I think it's done.
"I'm intrigued when we talk about the demands on the modern footballer about trying to win titles. People say, 'it's not going to be easy... it's not supposed to be easy.
"If it was easy, everybody would be winning league titles. Very few people win league titles. It's meant to be tough, it's meant to be demanding.
"When you look at the fixtures they've got coming up, if you're in that Liverpool dressing room, you'd be thinking 'bring it on'.
"They've got great momentum. Can there be injuries? Of course, that's part of being part of a great club."
"I don't think City were that bad today, and I tell you what makes a proper team," Graeme Souness told Sky Sports. "When we were winning league titles here, that was saying more about us than winning European Cups.
"City are a proper team, and don't be writing them off. They will be back. They just played Liverpool at the wrong time today when they had big players missing.
"When you play them, you want to have all your big players playing at their best."
Special guest and former City captain Vincent Kompany believes the title race remains alive, despite witnessing Liverpool take a huge advantage in the Premier League title race.
The Belgian told Sky Sports: "I've lost here and I've won league titles. It's never been the defining moment over an entire season. It's too early. You're fighting history as well.
"We spoke about the mental side of things - 30 years without winning a league title here. For us, it's difficult to come here to play and for Liverpool, it will be difficult to bring this over the line because you're fighting history."
Liverpool and Manchester City resume their domestic campaigns after the international break on November 23, with the Reds travelling to Crystal Palace at 3pm before champions City host Chelsea on Saturday Night Football at 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm.
