Pep Guardiola admits Liverpool's Premier League position demonstrates how "much better" they are than Manchester City this season.
The Reds' 2-1 home win over Bournemouth on Saturday moved them 25 points clear of City, albeit having played two games more.
The second-placed side tick off one of them on Sunday afternoon when they travel to neighbours United.
And it was while expressing his surprise at the huge gap between the two Manchester clubs that Guardiola accepted the Liverpool's dominance as the best team in the country.
"I never expected this position after the previous seasons we finished when I arrived here in England," said the City boss.
“And right now to have this distance against United in these last three or four years I didn’t expect it.
“Because when you analyse United individually and collectively they are so good. So that is why I don’t see it.
“But what United expects now is getting closer to the people above them and they are working to improve that.
“Manchester City wants to improve too so at the end of the season the distance is what it is. And if we are 22 points behind Liverpool it is because they were much better than us.”
