Manchester City's title hopes shredded as Liverpool exact cup revenge with crushing win

There was a feeling of familiarity when the game kicked off, with this match coming just three days after Sunday’s meeting in the League Cup final at Wembley. But immediately the tempo and nature of the game more closely resembled the league meeting earlier in the season than Sunday’s showpiece.

Liverpool bossed it from the first minute, pressing City with intensity and intelligence and never letting the sluggish visitors settle.

Adam Lallana opened the scoring with a shot from distance that caught out a leaden-footed Joe Hart, before the excellent James Milner added a second before the break after a slick touch from Lallana had opened up the City defence.

Roberto Firmino finished off a beautiful flowing move in the second half to put the gloss on an already polished performance and Liverpool coasted to the win for the final half an hour, giving their fans a chance to enjoy a first league win on home turf since the turn of the year.

The game at Anfield had represented one of City’s two games in hand over leaders Leicester City, but Liverpool exacted a modicum of revenge for their League Cup final defeat to damage City’s title hopes and secured an impressive league double over Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Where was this display from Liverpool on Sunday? Jurgen Klopp’s side were too sharp, too clever and too organised for Man City, just as they had been in the reverse league fixture at the Etihad. The fact that such a high-energy performance came just three days after 120 minutes of League Cup heartache is even more impressive, but you have to wonder where this display was on Sunday. Did Klopp get his tactics wrong at Wembley? Or was that game the one time in the three meetings that City actually turned up? It’s hard to tell, but Liverpool fans will at least take some solace in extending their unbeaten run over City at Anfield to 13 games.

Adam Lallana (Liverpool) – The England midfielder was absolutely superb for Liverpool all evening, floating into the channels and drifting elegantly into pockets of space. To say that he tore Man City apart would be too coarse a choice of words for such a stylish performance, but it was his shot from distance that opened the scoring and he was the key creative spark behind Liverpool’s second and third goals of the night. Lallana looks world-class when he plays like this – it’s a shame he can’t produce this level more consistently.

Liverpool: Mignolet 6; Clyne 7, Toure 8, Lovren 7, Flanagan 8; Henderson 7, Can 7, Milner 8; Lallana 9, Firmino 7, Origi 6. Subs: Benteke 6, Allen 6, Ibe 6.

Man City: Hart 4; Zabaleta 5, Kompany 7, Otamendi 6, Clichy 5; Fernandinho 5, Fernando 6; Navas 5, Silva 5, Sterling 4; Aguero 6. Subs: Bony 5, Iheanacho 5, Kolarov 5.

34’ – GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Man City: Adam Lallana has a speculative shot from distance as the City defence fail to close him down. His shot is hardly fizzing, but Joe Hart is leaden-footed and fails to get anywhere near it as the ball bobbles into the bottom corner. 1-0 Liverpool!

41’ – GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Man City: James Milner makes it 2-0 to Liverpool, collecting a fizzed pass on the edge of the area and poking a shot past Hart as the defenders closed in on him. Man City are reeling.

57’ – GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Man City: Roberto Firmino finishes off a beautiful flowing move by Liverpool with a curled finish into the far corner. 3-0!

70 – TACKLE – Aguero almost gets in behind the Liverpool defence for the first time in the game, but he's eased off the ball by Kolo Toure, who shows remarkable skill and composure not to give away a penalty.

Manchester City have now gone 13 games without a win at Anfield in the Premier League.

Liverpool’s clean-sheet was the first by either side in the last ten league meetings, and 37 goals have been scored in those last ten meetings.

James Milner's goal was Liverpool's 1500th in the Premier League.

This was Liverpool’s first league win at Anfield in 2016.

Sergio Aguero has now not scored in four league visits to Anfield.

This is the first time since November 2008 that City have lost three Premier League games in a row.