The Manchester City players celebrate the fourth goal, an own goal by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian/NMC Pool
Read Jamie Jackson's match report
Barney Ronay on City's win
Pep speaks
Guardiola's reaction
“What can I say? We beat the champions, an extraordinary team. The game was good. They had clear chances in the first minutes with Salah but after that we mad a good performance and could have scored more goals. We tried to play football and take risks because [Liverpool] are the best team I’ve ever faced in my life with the high pressing ... But we had the courage to play.”
He says he’s particularly pleased because it was clear Liverpool did not take this match lightly. “I saw how focused they are. Even in the guard of honour, they were focused. They did not even say thank you.”
Klopp reacts
“I saw a brilliant attitude. We didn’t behave like somebody who became champions a week ago. But we lacked fluidity, and for some 50/50 situations they were just quicker than us. Then the pitch becomes bigger immediately.... They used their chances and we didn’t. City was 100% the deserved winner, of course, but 5-3 or something would have been possible aswell. We had moments where we could have scored but we didn’t.”
Then the manager shows irritation at the line of questioning, seemingly convinced that Sky’s man is trying to get him to criticise his team’s attitude. The questions were imprecise but not provocative, except in these sense that imprecise questions from journalists are annoying: but Klopp’s irritation has more to do with the tonking his team just got. But he maintains that his team were full of fight. Sure, but they were also very sloppy. “If you want to lead this story in the direction that we were not focused on this game, then do it,” says Klopp.”
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Raheem Sterling's verdict
“[Liverpool] have been brilliant all year. We knew we had to come out strong. We were disappointed with the season, we lots some games we shouldn’t have. We had an opportunity today to make a point and we did. Next season starts today.”
“We know we’ve got the FA Cup and Champions League. In the Premier League games coming up we need to finish strong and that will only help us in the other competition.”
Full-time: Man City 4-0 Liverpool
City win this skirmish after Liverpool have already settled the campaign. In that sense, what happened here today doesn’t matter. But Liverpool will be at least slightly miffed at being dismantled by their nearest rivals, especially as they contributed to their own defeat with some uncharacteristically shambolic defending Gomez and Robertson were all over the shop, and Mané and Firmino were ragged up front. City were technically excellent at times, with De Bruyne, Sterling and Foden all excellent and Rodri a constant influence. It’ll be interesting to see how Liverpool react to this: shrug it off and let the rest of the season fizzle out? Or come back and annihilate poor old Aston Villa on Sunday? There’ll be personnel changes for that game, I’ll wager.
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NO GOAL! Mahrez fires in at the near post after a lovely interchange with Foden, but he handled the ball in the build so the goal doesn’t cont.
90 min: There will be at least four more minutes before Liverpool can return to the dance piste.
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88 min: Mendy cuts out a cross by Oxlade-Chamberlain at the expense of a corner. Robertson swings it over. Ederson palms it away, and City sweep forward on another counter-attack. The indefatigable Henderson charges back to snuff it out.
86 min: Silva catches Williams late as the defender whacked the ball clear.
84 min: Liverpool substitution: Minamino on, Mané off.
81 min: De Bruyne orchestrates another attack, feeding Mahrez at the edge of the area. The Algeria international shows quick feet to make space for a shot and then drills a low effort wide from 18 yards.
79 min: Man City substitution: Otamendi and Bernardo Silva on, Sterling and Laporte off.
78 min: Keita holds back De Bruyne in midfield to curb another City attack.
77 min: Salah opens his body and curls a shot around Laporte and towards the far corner. But Ederson is wise to it and makes a comfortable save.
76 min: Liverpool substitution: Williams on, Alexander-Arnold off.
75 min: Laporte and Mendy take turns clearing dangerous crosses.
74 min: Klopp must have had an angry word during that break. Liverpool are playing as if their pride is hurt. They’re trying to salvage a goal at least.
Drinks break
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69 min: Liverpool are strolling now. Which, incidentally, can be a good way to ease your way out of a hangover “Although frustrating to watch as a Liverpool fan, this is the only acceptable way for a team to respond to having to give a guard of honour to your rivals,” honks Matt Dony. “I think I would have turned down the guard, for fear of a subsequent case of the hubrises.” Maybe to offset that, Liverpool should give City a guard of honour on the way off? Set them right for next season.
GOAL! Man City 4-0 Liverpool (Oxlade-Chamberlain og 66)
Liverpool opened up easily again. Rodri sprays a pass to De Bruyne in plenty of space mid-way inside the Liverpool half. The Belgian weighed up his options before sliding in Sterling, who sidestepped Robertson and slotted a low shot past Alisson. Oxlade-Chamberlain slides it to try to clear it but only helps it into the net. And the replay shows that the ball was, in fact, heading wide. So thats an own goal. It’s been that kind of night for Liverpool.
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65 min: A crisp ball from mid-way inside the City half finds Salah near the penalty spot with his back to goal. He flips it off to Origi coming in from the left. Laporte gets in the way of the forward’s first-time shot.
63 min: Liverpool substitutions: Origi and Keita on, Wijnaldum and Firmino off. Firmino has looked particularly knackered today.
60 min: Laporte gives the ball away at the back. Mané retrieves at the edge of the area and slides it to Firmino, whose shot from the centre is blocked. This game fluctuates between spells of high class and outbreaks of mass sloppiness.
58 min: City substitution: Mahrez on, Jesus off.
57 min: Two Liverpool players stand at the end of the City wall ... but they forget to get out of the way when Alexander-Arnold shoots: so the shot deflects off Henderson and goes wide.
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56 min: After a VAR review, Liverpool do not get a penalty: instead it’s a freekick at the edge of the area following a foul by Walker...
54 min: A mistake by Garcia gifts the ball to Henderson, who looks up and slots a pass through to Mane, who’s free 15 yards out .... and he somehow steps over the ball! All he had to do was shoot on sight, but instead he performed some kind of dance move: Liverpool still in party mode, you say? “City are still in two competitions,” notes Sam Baker. “They are actually holding back here.” Or, to put it another way, they’re turning on the style when it doesn’t matter?
52 min: De Bruyne romps down the right in loads of space, then measures out a low pass to Foden, who guides it past the keeper. But it’s not the cleanest connection so Van Dijk is able to hook it clear from in front of his own goal.
51 min: Sterling scurries towards the box as City stream through Liverpool again. He opens fire from 18 yards. Fabinho hurls himself in front o it to deflect it wide.
49 min: Liverpool are still asleep at the back. Alexander-Arnold flings a throw-in straight to Jesus, who wriggles towards the box and fires off a shot that forces a save from Alisson.
48 min: Corner to City. De Bruyne curls it in, Alisson makes an easy catch.
46 min: Gomez’s ordeal is over: he’s been hauled off and replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain. Presumably that means Fabinho will drop back into defence.
So who thinks this is unfolding in a good way for Aston Villa? They face Liverpool at the at weekend in dire need of points to avoid relegation. Will they meet a rabble? Will Klopp make lots of changes? That depends partly on how the second half goes here...
So, about that inbox: no irate fans are suggesting Klopp is a fraud who has been exposed. Instead, it seems sense is common, after all. “Liverpool won the league in 1983 with six games to go and didn’t win any of the last six,” recalls Jim Morrish. “The team were already (mentally) on the beach. They still won the league in 1984 ..... and the European Cup..... and the League Cup.”
I’m going for a, ahem, drinks break. Will be disappointed if, by the time I get back, there aren’t at least a few mails in my inbox saying Klopp has taken Liverpool as far as I he can?
Half-time: Man City 3-0 Liverpool
Liverpool started well and should have taken the lead but once Sterling began tormenting Gomez, the champions crumbled like lads who’ve been on the razz for days. Uncharacteristic sloppiness has made them easy prey for City, who added two slick goals after De Bruyne’s penalty. Klopp will understand but not accept this, at least not right now.
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45+2 min: Good tackle by Garcia on Firmino. But Liverpool recycle the ball and work it to Salah in a dangerous position. From the right-hand byline he drops a cross at he back post. But there’s no one there.
GOAL! Man City 3-0 Liverpool (Foden 45)
Robertson loses the run of himself and runs into a challenge he can never win with Foden, who sees him coming and lays the ball off quickly to De Bruyne and then spins and darts into the box to collect the instant return pass. And then he sweeps it high past Alisson for an impeccable finish from 15 yards.
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43 min: City look to be in total control now. Liverpool have barely threatened since falling behind. Their sloppiness at the back has killed their mojo and got City’s dander right up.
41 min: Jesus booked for doing something that the camera didn’t pick up. A naughty word or gesture, perhaps.
38 min: Alexander-Arnold delivers a testing ball from the right. Walker keeps an eye on it and chests it back to Ederson from six yards out. “Gomez is having a stinker,” says Richard McGahey. “He gives up the penalty and now loses track of Sterling, drifting around in the penalty area with little awareness of what was going on.” There’s a fair chance Sterling will be whispering something along those lines to him too.
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Liverpool (Sterling 35)
Another sweet moment for Sterling! He gets involved in a City counter-attack by helping the ball on to Foden and then turning and dashing into the left-hand side of the box. As Liverpool’s defence flounders, Foden carries it forward. De Bruyne makes a decoy run to the right, and Foden slips the ball through to Sterling, who takes it it under control and then sidefoots past Alisson. Clinical.
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32 min: Nice move by Liverpool. But when Fabinho runs no to the ball in the right-hand side of the box, his pullback goes behind Salah at the edge of the six-yard area.
30 min: Van Dijk springs Mané with yet another pass behind Walker. But the forward can’t find anyone with his cross.
28 min: An absolutely exquisite pass by De Bruyne to Jesus. He found a gap that did not even seem to be there. Sadly, Jesus did not take advantage, confusing himself as he tried to spin past the last defender and ultimately skewing it way wide.
Drinks break
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Liverpool (De Bruyne pen 25)
De Bruyne sees Allison go one way and then sweeps the ball into the opposite corner. What a satisfying minute that was for Sterling, in particular.
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PENALTY! Sterling tricks his way past Gomez, who tries to hold him back. Sterling flops to the ground to leave the ref with an easy decision.
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20 min: This time it’s City who find space behind the Liverpool defence with a long diagonal pass, from Walker to De Bruyne. But Alexander-Arnold gets back swiftly to challenge De Bruyne, who runs the ball out of play.
19 min: Firmino takes down the ball 10 yards outside the area, then helps it on quickly to Salah, coming in from the right. Salah shuffles towards the box before fizzing a low shot past the keeper ... and against the base of the post!
18 min: Alexander-Arnold jabs the ball through to Salah, who fires a cross into the near post. City get it away. But Liverpool regain the ball fast. “Just out of curiosity: how many times do you think Alexander-Arnold will execute that switch to Mané before Walker realises he’s leaving basically an entire postcode of space behind him for a quite fast inside forward to run into?” wonders Adam Kline-Schoder. That’s a rhetorical question, right?
16 min: Liverpool pop the ball about in the City half until Mendy ushers Salah off the ball and clears. “It’s interesting, for all of City’s many, many qualities, how easily they can be undone by a simple long ball,” agrees Stephen Carr. Yes, and its good to have champions who are not too snooty to exploit that.
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14 min: Mendy curls a delicious ball in from the left-hand touch line. Sterling and Foden come within millimetres of connecting with it from close range.
13 min: Van Dijk tries another long pass from the back towards Mané. Garcia intercepts this time. It’s clear that Liverpool reckon City are vulnerable to a fast, direct approach.
11 min: De Bruyne loses the ball at the edge of the Liverpool box under a tackle by Fabinho. The referee seems poised to give a freekick but decided not to. Correct decision. Liverpool tear forward and Alexander-Arnold angles a cross from deep towards the penalty spot. Sadio Mané makes a mess of his header, failing to find the target.
9 min: By the sounds of it, lots of fireworks are going off somewhere close to the stadium. Whoever could be responsible for those?
8 min: City enjoy a spell of possession, with Rodri integral to it. He is everywhere, prodding and prompting.
6 min: Liverpool are jazzed. There’s an electricity about them, an intensity that’s making them slightly sharper and slightly more aggressive than City so far.
4 min: Van Dijk spots a run from right to centre by Salah and flights the ball towards the Egyptian. Salah takes it on his chest and fires off a first time shot from 25 yards. Ederson, in the middle of his box, reacts quickly and pushes it away. Firmino races on to the rebound but his shot from a difficult position is weak. Easy stop for Ederson.
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3 min: City faff about with it at the back. Liverpool watch them for a bit and then Mané pounces, dispossessing Walker and clipping a cross towards Salah in the middle. It’s just too long. Ederson collects.
1 min: Liverpool kick off. They lose the ball quickly and City shunt it forward to Jesus. He tries to hold it up and wait for support, but Van Dijk steps in and takes the ball.
City trudge out of the tunnel, then split in two and line up on either side of it to welcome the champions. They are as glum-faced as you’d expect. Liverpool make them wait. Then Jordan Henderson leads his men out. They resist smug smiles as City applaud just enough to respect the protocol. And with that, the formality is done.
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Roy Keane is on Sky punditry duty, which means he’ll be looking for any imperfections that he can attribute to a lack of moral courage. Not an easy man to impress, he nonetheless approves of Liverpool’s warm-up: apparently they have been “vocal and intense” as they limbered up, which suggests: “They’ve come here to win. It’s set up to be a brilliant game.”
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Guardiola, asked whether he wants to win today to lay down a marker for next season, replies: In football life changes week by week. Of course we want a good performance against this team, but next season will be a new season with new targets.”
Klopp explains his teams selection: “you pretty much need the most experienced team for all the things that City ask you in a game. You need to play rather from your belly than from your brain. You need to do it instinctively right ... You need to be ready to suffer in this game. If we are not brave in both departments - defending-wise and attacking-wise, we will not have a chance. I like these games.”
Dejan Lovren, by the way, has been left out with a minor knock. “Nothing serious,” says Klopp.
Fancy watching a video explaining how Liverpool won the title? Course you do.
Teams
It looks like Liverpool mean business: they’re starting with what was become their classic lineup. So a big test is on the way for Eric Garcia, the 19-year-old who has recovered from the injury he suffered against Arsenal and slots back into central defence.
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Mendy; Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Foden, Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Bravo, Stones, Zinchenko, Bernardo, D.Silva, Mahrez, Cancelo, Otamendi, Doyle
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Fabinho; Salah, Firmino, Mané
Subs: Adrian, Milner, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Origi, Jones, Elliott, Williams
Referee: A Taylor
Preamble
Hello. After a few days making merry in the grand old style, Jürgen Klopp takes his troops over to Manchester City today to thank them personally for losing at Chelsea last week. A 30-year quest has reached a glorious climax and all that remains is for everyone associated with Liverpool to check out the mugs on Pep Guardiola & Co as the deposed champions lay on a guard of honour for the new kings. That’s the etiquette, apparently, and it’ll be a moment to watch and enjoy. For the sake of good sport, it’d be nice to think it’ll generate bad blood.
What happens once the game gets going will be fascinating. League points don’t matter any more because no accountant could make the maths work for City now; but there’s a moral point to be made: a chance for City to say: “You may have won the title, but on our day we’re still the better team”. Or, on the other hand, for Liverpool to say: “We took your title and now we’re going to batter you in your own backyard. Just because we can”. That’s the sort of attitude that Klopp says he wants to see from his men, who can still set more records this season if they really want to. So what we may have here are the two best teams in England going at each other with gusto, for honour not gongs. A duel of rare purity awaits.
Unless neither side are really bothered, in which case this will be a boring farce. Either way, it’s on!
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