Liverpool vs Man City LIVE: Premier League result and reaction

The former Leicester boss has consistently played down talk that his team could challenge for a first Premier League crown since 2017, but those protestations were made to look hollow as the Blues turned in their best performance of the season to move level on points with Arsenal.

“We are not ready to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and (Manchester) City, for many reasons,” Maresca said.

In the 83rd minute, the ball rolled to the feet of Cole Palmer in a bubble of space outside Aston Villa’s box, and the crowd snapped to attention. Little conversations stopped. Heads craned forward in unison. Ah, now this is why we came.

Chelsea are a fun watch this season, full of speed and swagger, all nosed by the erratic offerings of Nicolas Jackson, a man who can finish with the accuracy of a sniper and all the delicacy of a caravan in the space of one afternoon. But there is a reason why the walk down Fulham Road carries such a sense of anticipation these days. Palmer virtually guarantees a handful of moments that take your breath away, one or two of which will probably lead to goals, performing touches and feints often so subtle that you’ll try and fail to describe exactly what he did in the pub afterwards.

Liverpool fans sang, ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ at City boss Pep Guardiola, who responded by holding up six fingers in reference to the number of titles he has won with the club, but Carragher said there would be no seventh this term.

Liverpool’s next game is another potentially difficult one, as they travel north to face Newcastle on Wednesday, 4 December (with kick-off at 7.30pm).

City will kick-off against Nottingham Forest at the same time that day.

An early goal from Cody Gakpo was backed up by a second-half penalty from Mohamed Salah with the visitors unable to regularly test Caoimhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal.

There was a lull in the noise, a break in the Anfield atmosphere, when a defiant chant emerged from a corner near Stefan Ortega’s goal. “City, City, the best team in the land,” came a chorus first aired in the years when the notion was fanciful. For much of the last few years, they have often been branded, sometimes by opponents, as the best team in the world.

Now that description is outdated, inaccurate, almost mocking. Now they are behind Brighton in the table, 11 points adrift of Liverpool, their title race run weeks before Christmas. They have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, not won against anyone since Erik ten Hag was still Manchester United manager.

Their Carabao Cup exit at Tottenham aside, there is a case for calling a 2-0 defeat at Anfield their most respectable result in the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career. They are not accustomed to losing to Bournemouth or Brighton, to conceding four at home to anyone or away to Sporting CP. A defeat at Anfield, Guardiola’s personal house of horrors, is nothing new.

“We didn’t have a pre-season and then injuries, but we know that and we have to survive with that. We competed but didn’t create many chances.

“I am here sitting as a manager and defending what we have done in the past thanks to them and more than ever I want to be with them and hug them. We have to change results and in the right time we will take the decision.

“All the stadiums want to sack me, it started at Brighton! Maybe they are right with the results we’ve been having. I didn’t expect that at Anfield.

“They didn’t do it at 1-0, but at 2-0. Maybe they should have sung it in the past. I didn’t expect it from the people from Liverpool but it’s fine, it’s part of the game, and I understand completely.

“We’ve had incredible battles together. I have a respect for them.

“I said before this game that we weren’t in a position to think about targets but the season is long. We have to think about making results and then some players will come back and then we’ll be better and we’ll believe maybe.

“There are many things to fight for and we’re going to try.”

Pep Guardiola says that Liverpool “were unstoppable” in the first 15 to 20 minutes.

“They started so strong, we tried to play with a lot of control and passes, but it was difficult to take it.

“They deserved the first goal, but we started the first half so well and played well in the second half without too much threat. I know how strong Liverpool are in both boxes.

“I congratulate them and we’ll reset and start from zero and it is difficult to believe it. I rely a lot on these players, I know they are doing in this position. We’ll see what happens by the end of the season.

“We can always do the short passes, and we can do it, but we don’t have many alternatives. All I can say is thank you to them because I know the commitment that they showed with and without the ball. Maybe I had a feeling inside me that we will build from them. We will restart and try and make a good run.

“There is a moment where maybe it will click. Today Kevin [De Bruyne] played good minutes and Jack [Grealish] played well in that position and Jeremy [Doku] played good minutes after a month out. Bernardo and Rico [Lewis] have a lot of minutes in their legs.

“Nathan [Ake] was exceptional against maybe one of the great wingers. I congratulate Liverpool, they deserve the victory and we accept the situation right now and we’ll build from that.”

Arne Slot some to Sky and said that in particular, “work-rate I think it was perfect”.

“The amount of chances we miss made it tight at the end. But maybe that’s nice for matches like this. It should be like this. But it would have been nicer to score the second goal earlier.

“We always press high but they’re so good at build-up. So you have to work very hard. Our players had energy. Apart from our players, the crowd was fantastic today as well.

“They always make it difficult for you in the way they position. It’s not only formation. Nine out of 10 times it’s the quality of the players. We have some quality players on the pitch too.

“We’re a compatible team and it’s difficult to beat us. But also we have to put the effort in. But we have injuries. We had to take Trent off. It would have been a risk. These are the challenges we face at the moment but every team has to face these challenges over a season.

“Next week is another big week against Newcastle and Everton.

“I don’t think anyone, including me, would have predicted this [start]. I knew Jurgen [Klopp] left the team in a very good place. But still, to win so much with all the difficult teams we have played already is not something you could predict at the start of the season.

“But, like I say, I saw Arsenal yesterday and Chelsea today and I saw City, they will come back because these teams have so much quality. They could go on the same run as us. So we have to stay sharp and focused.”