Liverpool moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League after a potentially season-defining 2-0 victory over a Manchester City side in disarray.
That Pep Guardiola’s team are now 11 points adrift in fifth after a seventh match without victory says everything about the club’s current crisis which showed no signs of ending at Anfield, where they have won on only one of the last 22 league visits.
City have now lost four league games in a row in the same campaign for the first time since 2007.
Arsenal are the closest challengers but even they have work to do after Arne Slot’s side won an 18th match out of 20 this term with a degree of comfort.
Cody Gakpo’s 12th-minute strike was all the hosts had for an opening barrage and it needed Mohamed Salah’s late penalty – the sixth successive league match in which he has scored and his sixth goal in eight appearances against City – to secure the points.
Only then could the Kop relax, following ‘Liverpool top of the league’ by directing ‘Sacked in the morning’ at Guardiola, who responded by holding up six fingers, one for each Premier League title he has won.
With suggestions City’s legs have gone persisting, Liverpool began at a rapid tempo and they could easily have been 3-0 up inside 20 minutes.
That they were not would have been a source of frustration as they played and worked their opponents off the pitch.
Dominik Szoboszlai had two early shots saved by Stefan Ortega, who was chosen ahead of Ederson, with Virgil van Dijk’s header from the corner hitting the far post.
But the real threat was coming from deep with Trent Alexander-Arnold, starting his first game for a month after injury, given far too much time and space for Guardiola’s liking.
The goal was crafted by him and delivered by Salah. The defender’s raking crossfield pass from deep inside his own half picked out the Egypt international’s run.
He cut back onto his left foot to curl an inch-perfect low cross to the far post where Gakpo, who had run in behind Kyle Walker, converted off his knee from two yards for his sixth goal in seven matches.
Another 80-yard Alexander-Arnold pass sent Salah racing away with Nathan Ake only just managing to nick the ball away for a corner, from which Van Dijk inexcusably powered a free header wide.
The Liverpool captain was more effective on the edge of his own penalty area, blocking Erling Haaland’s first sniff of a chance, and such was the home side’s dominance they almost became over-confident with Alexander-Arnold letting fly from 25 yards much to the annoyance of Salah who was waiting for the short pass.
Both of City’s full-backs were coming off second best in their individual duels and Liverpool should have done more to exploit that but instead it was Alexander-Arnold’s turn to clip a post with a low drive from outside the area.
For only the third time under Guardiola, City had one or fewer shots in the first half of a Premier League game but they sought to rectify that after the break, emerging with more vigour and purpose.
However, the best chances continued to fall to Liverpool with Matheus Nunes sliding in to block Gakpo, who raced onto Andy Robertson’s through-ball from a counter-attack at a City corner, from which Van Dijk glanced a header over.
The worst miss came from Salah who, having robbed Manuel Akanji in the centre-circle, had only Ortega to beat but lifted his shot over.
Guardiola saw that as the signal to change and sent on wingers Jeremy Doku and Savinho for Ilkay Gundogan and Nunes.
City were starting to build some momentum with Doku giving Alexander-Arnold something to think about but even when he got past the England international, he discovered Van Dijk’s level had risen in direct correlation to the pressure with the Dutchman also casually plucking one long ball off the toes of Haaland.
Gakpo and Alexander-Arnold made way for Darwin Nunez and Jarell Quansah, who had not featured in a Premier League match since being hooked at half-time in the season opener at Ipswich, as Slot sought to protect the lead and one of his prized assets only just returning from injury.
But it was his attacking change which made the impact, Nunez robbing Ruben Dias to send Diaz charging into the area where he was brought down by Ortega.
Salah had missed his last spot-kick against Real Madrid in midweek but when the occasion demanded it he delivered.
Even a rare error by Van Dijk, having the ball stolen by substitute Kevin De Bruyne, was not punished as goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher came to his rescue with his first save of note.
