Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel wishes to play Manchester City every week

Liverpool celebrating victory against Manchester City.

Liverpool put in one of their best displays of the season to crush Manchester City 4-1 at the Etihad on Sunday morning in the English Premier League. But it is not in his nature to gloat – Milner is just excited by Liverpool’s upturn under Klopp. “We were top class in the first half, it was a brilliant result”, said Milner.

Juergen Klopp, so despondent after losing at home to Crystal Palace two weeks before, did not feel almost so alone after witnessing hundreds of City fans leaving the ground early. Yet they absolutely destroyed City, particularly in the first 30 minutes as they continually cut through the Blues’ back four, scoring three goals without reply and putting the game to beyond Pellegrini’s men.

The capital side have 38 points from 14 games and lead second-placed Olympique Lyonnais, who slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Nice on Friday, by a massive 13 points after a routine win. City were without their influential captain Vincent Kompany because of injury, and his absence was again keenly felt, but manager Manuel Pellegrini also opted to leave in-form Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho on the bench.

The opener came after seven minutes as Coutinho robbed Bacary Sagna and Mangala turned Firmino’s cross into his own net.

The Liverpool midfielder, who is set to resume training this week after recovering from a broken foot, told Sky Sports: ‘Obviously I have been out for a pretty long time.

It was the first time since February 2003 that City had conceded three before the interval in a league fixture. It’s the hardest thing in football but I’ve been through it many times before.

“But to make it all wrong in attacking, defending and possession…it’s not the team we know”. He will be very important for us, everybody can see he’s in really good shape in this moment. Sterling was actually one of the team’s better players in the match, while the defensive midfield got run over by hungrier, more industrious players.

City now travel to Turin to play Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday and although they have already qualified for the last 16, Pellegrini sees it as an opportunity to draw a line in the sand.

“They’ve a lot of big games coming up as well”.