Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes Liverpool will have to overcome a new danger if they are to win the Premier League title.
The Reds stayed eight points clear of Leicester City at the top of the table with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
City remain a further point adrift after they beat Chelsea by a similar scoreline to leapfrog the Londoners into third place.
And while praising Frank Lampard's side, Guardiola has suggested rival teams are now posing a different threat to recent seasons.
“Before teams were just defending and using the counter attack," said the City boss.
"Now most of the teams have the courage to play, young managers, they have nice spirit, nothing to lose and go forward.
"That's why football is nice. We beat an incredible top side, Frank is a brave manager – courageous to play."
Guardiola added: “Chelsea are an incredible team, we knew it but we beat them. It was a typical high-level game.
“Our back four played so good today. In the most difficult period of the game we scored on the counter.”
Liverpool have now lost only one of their last 52 Premier League games and have stretched their current unbeaten top-flight run to 30.
And speaking ahead of the weekend games, Guardiola admitted the Reds have become almost impossible to beat.
“I have a feeling we are not far away from how we played in the last seasons but we have a team that is almost unstoppable and in incredible top form (in Liverpool)," he said.
“They are the champions of Europe but we’re in November.
“I know that to be there until the end we have to go on an incredible run of games but I think it will be a big mistake if you think too far ahead.”
