Man City 1-4 Liverpool

Coutinho was forced off the pitch after 68 minutes of action at the Etihad Stadium after having scored the Reds’ second goal and then setting up Roberto Firmino’s strike against Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes that his side’s brilliant 4-1 dismantling of former Premier League leaders Manchester City will convince his players that they can surmount any obstacle. Coutinho slipped a little pass to his right to bypass Hart and Firmino was left with an open goal.

Despite an expensively-assembled team oozing talent City were so sloppy despite dominating possession in a first half they got what they deserved and it left them with an nearly impossible task.

Both Firmino and Coutinho scored, with Martin Skrtel complementing Eliaquim Mangala’s own goal with a late volley.

Home games against struggling Swansea City and West Brom and trips to lowly Watford and Newcastle offer Liverpool the chance to start banking points and climbing the standings quickly. The boys can believe now that they are stronger than many people think.

But just before the break, City star forward Sergio Aguero proved his fitness with a stunning right-footed blast from beyond the box that Simon Mignolet could nothing about.

The Etihad visit marked the end of the seven-game, season-opening stretch of road games that we expected would define the Reds’ season. Even Leicester City now leading the Premier League isn’t as shocking as Skrtel scoring with his feet, though.

“I will not explain the starting eleven”, Pellegrini said.

City could also take comfort from Liverpool’s woeful recent record at this ground, with the Merseysiders winless in six attempts in the league dating back to a 3-2 victory in October 2008.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini was at a loss to explain his side’s shortcomings and claimed that his players could not have played worse had they tried.

“These big wins go unnoticed if you lose at home but today is a great platform and hopefully we can kick on”. “The game was not flawless but it was very good”.

“When I was his age, I didn’t necessarily have a player who would try and help me every single day to push me and try to make me improve as a footballer”.

He is still so young and has plenty to work on yet, and one can’t help but question whether he will be able to grab such a big game that carries such weight for so many fans by the scruff of the neck.