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Gary Neville thinks Liverpool’s superior centre forward options could see them pip Manchester City to the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola’s men were held to a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace last night, failing to turn their dominance into an all-important winner.
Their lead over the Reds is now just four points with the two sides still to meet at the Etihad on April 10.
The stalemate ended a run of 18 league games in which City had scored since a 2-0 defeat against Palace in October, but it was the fourth time they have failed to find the net this season.
In comparison, Liverpool have been kept out just once in the Premier League, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and new man Luis Diaz all looking lethal in front of goal.
And former Manchester United man Neville has suggested that could tip the balance in the Merseysiders’ favour during the run-in.
The pundit told Sky Sports on Monday Night Football: “If Liverpool play that game [at Palace], they win that game because they have better strikers and finishers.
“They are more ruthless and there are more of them, five players you would put your money on.
“Whereas at City, there are more wide players playing in those positions. Phil Foden is a midfield player but he’s playing centre forward. Jack Grealish could be a midfielder, but he plays on the left of a three up front.”
For all their brilliance, City’s hunt for an out-an-out striker since Sergio Aguero left the club has been well documented.
Their pursuit of Tottenham’s Harry Kane was one of the sagas of last summer, while continued links with superstar goalscorer Erling Haaland suggest Guardiola would like to add a No9 to his current crop.
And on how it could affect them in the title race this term, Neville added: “City have got outstanding players in that team, fantastic players. But for as brilliant as they are, they are not the most ruthless or clinical in front of goal.
“The difference at the end of the season could just be down to the fact that Liverpool have more strikers who are clinical and suited to scoring goals.
“We’ve known that all season with City, the only thing that could let them down is that.”
After an FA Cup quarter-final tie at Southampton this weekend, City face Burnley next in the Premier League before they go face-to-face with Jurgen Klopp’s men.
A run of eight straight victories for Liverpool has seen them remarkably reduce the gap to just four points, having trailed by as many as 14 in mid-January.
But despite their commanding lead continuing to shrink, City midfielder Bernardo Silva still says he would rather be in his team’s position than the chasing Reds.
He told Sky Sports after the match: “It was a tough game, we actually played well, we controlled the game apart from one or two times.
“We couldn’t score, and we should’ve scored. Nine games to go, but it’s still better to be in our position than in Liverpool’s, and they have to play in our stadium, so it’s going to be exciting.
“It’s never easy to play at any team away in the Premier League. It’s always better to win than draw, and we wanted to have an advantage of six points over Liverpool.”
