Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League showdown between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield. Both sides were involved in a gruelling battle with another at Wembley just three days ago, going all the way to penalties in the League Cup final before City finally emerged victorious to win the first piece of silverware of the season. Their hopes of adding another are on the line tonight too, with the chance to close the gap on the three teams above them in the table. Let's start with a look at the two lineups...

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Flanagan; Henderson, Can, Milner; Lallana, Firmino, Origi

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Ward, Skrtel, Moreno, Allen, Ibe, Coutinho, Benteke

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho, Navas, Silva, Sterling; Aguero

MAN CITY SUBS: Caballero, Sagna, Demichelis, Kolarov, Bony, Iheanacho, Mangala

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, it is perhaps not surprising to see the hosts make a few changes following Sunday's efforts at Wembley, with Klopp bringing five new faces into the starting XI from the team that started three days ago. A handful of them are enforced, including the inclusion of Origi. He leads the line in the absence of Sturridge, who was suffering from cramp at Wembley and was unable to take one of the penalties as a result.

Perhaps the name Man City will be most pleased to see not in the starting lineup is Coutinho, who is dropped to the bench this evening to give him a rest. It would have been his 100th Premier League appearance, and he has a fine record against today's opponents too, scoring in five of his six appearances against them, including in Sunday's League Cup final. However, he has to make do with a place on the bench this evening as Adam Lallana comes in for the Brazilian.

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The energetic pairing of Milner and Henderson need no rest in midfield, and they are joined once again by Can in the middle of the park, with that trio remaining untouched by Klopp this evening. The rest of the changes come in defence as Nathaniel Clyne is the only member of the back four to retain his place from Wembley. Again, though, Klopp's hand has been forced a little in that respect, with Lucas, who was arguably the man of the match on Sunday, out with a muscle problem and Sakho not risked having suffered a clash of heads with Can in the final.

There is a return for Dejan Lovren as a result, with the centre-back having been sidelined through illness for the past couple of games, while Kolo Toure also comes in having played the majority of the final after replacing Sakho. Flanagan is included at left-back, with Moreno dropped to the bench, and there is a notable inclusion for the fit-again Martin Skrtel on the bench too. In goal, Mignolet once again gets the gloves having made an error for City's goal on Sunday, but then redeemed himself with a string of good saves.

As for City, they have kept changes to a minimum, with only three switches from Manuel Pellegrini. One of those comes in goal as expected, with Caballero dropping back to the bench despite establishing himself as the hero in Sunday's final by making three excellent saves in the penalty shootout. His inclusion was questioned, but Pellegrini kept faith and was rewarded. However, the Argentine remains only the cup goalkeeper, so Joe Hart is restored between the sticks tonight.

There is also a change at right-back as Sagna drops to the bench to be replaced by Zabaleta, while further forward there is no Yaya Toure for City. The Ivorian picked up a foot injury at Wembley and is unavailable tonight, although it didn't stop him stroking home the winning spot kick on Sunday. He is replaced in the starting XI by Jesus Navas, which is likely to see Fernandinho drop into a deeper role alongside Fernando in midfield.

Most Liverpool eyes will probably be drawn to Raheem Sterling, who tonight makes his first return to Anfield since his acrimonious departure last summer. He is sure to be booed to the rafters by the Liverpool fans, just as he was at Wembley, but Pellegrini has backed the youngster to be strong enough to deal with the abuse. Sterling scored 23 goals in 129 appearances for Liverpool and was part of that memorable title challenge a couple of years ago, but the way he manoeuvred a move away from the club left a bitter taste in the mouths of the supporters.

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As ever with City, though, the main danger will be Sergio Aguero. The striker is no doubt one of the best in the world when on form, and had he been fit all season then City may well have been better placed than they currently find themselves. However, he doesn't have the best record at Anfield. The Argentine has scored in all four of his league games against Liverpool at the Etihad, but has failed to find the back of the net once in three previous visits to Anfield.

The threat of Aguero will not be news to Liverpool, of course, but the hosts will be wary that this evening's game is a bigger one for City than it is for them in the Premier League. The Reds have little but pride left to fight for in the Premier League this season, although there are some embarrassments that they will be desperate to avoid. They slipped into the bottom half of the table due to results last night, and a top-half finish must be considered the very bare minimum for the club.

It has been 62 years since Liverpool last finished in the bottom half of the table, and that was the last occasion that they were relegated to the second tier. It was a completely different Liverpool then to the club now, though, as that 1953-54 season was some five years before Bill Shankly arrived and started the revolution that took the Reds to the top of English, European and world football in the 1970s and 1980s. To fall to their first bottom-half defeat since then would be a real sign of how far the club has fallen.

Of course, there is still a long way to go in the season and plenty of points left to fight for. A victory for Liverpool this evening could lift them up to seventh should other results also go their way, which would leave them six points off Man City in fourth. That is by no means an unassailable gap, but with Liverpool's lack of consistency this season it is hard to see them beating a number of other better-placed teams to any potential late top-four challenge. It is also worth noting, though, that they have at least one game in hand over the majority of the teams around them in the table.

Instead, Liverpool's most likely route into the Champions League next season appears to be via the Europa League, and that is probably where the club's priorities lie now. The significance of the tournament was ramped up even further when they were drawn against Manchester United in the last 16, pairing arguably the two biggest rivals in English football, and certainly the two most successful teams, on the continental stage for the first time ever.

The Reds will be hoping that the Europa League provides welcome relief from the Premier League, where they have won just two of their seven matches since the turn of the year, both of which came against sides currently in the relegation zone. Tonight they are looking for back-to-back league victories for the first time in 2016, while in all competitions they have won just five of their 16 outings so far this calendar year, drawing five and losing six.

They haven't won a single league game at Anfield so far in 2016, and have only won once in front of their own fans in five top-flight outings since November. Incredibly, they haven't won back-to-back home league games all season, with the majority of the side's best performances under Klopp having come away from home. They have picked up notable victories over the likes of Chelsea, Southampton, Aston Villa and even today's opponents on the road, but have been unable to replicate that at Anfield so far.

Only six teams in the Premier League have amassed fewer points in front of their own fans this season, with Liverpool having picked up more on their travels than they have at Anfield. Even more worryingly, they have only scored 16 league goals at home this season, which is among the worst tallies in the division. Simply put, the Reds have been nowhere near good enough in front of their own fans this term.

That is certainly not a charge that can be levelled at Man City, who until Leicester's point last night had the best home record in the division, but the worry for the visitors tonight will be that their away record leaves a lot to be desired. No fewer than 10 other teams have picked up as many or more points than City away from home, which is not a record you would associate with title contenders. Even more surprisingly given City's consistent placing among the league's highest scorers is that they have only managed 13 goals in their 12 away league outings this term.

Things have been improving lately, with City not having been beaten in an away league game since before Christmas, but they have still only won two of their last nine matches on their travels. They have a particularly poor record here at Anfield too, which I well go into more a little later, but should they manage to end that hoodoo then it would be back-to-back away wins in the top flight for the first time since September.

It is an area where they do really need to improve if they are to close the gap on the teams above them in the table. It already looks to be a daunting task for Manuel Pellegrini's side, with 10 points separating them from Leicester, although they will take some encouragement from the Foxes being help by West Brom last night. They also have a game in hand over the teams around them in the table, which could prove vital in the title race, just as it did two years ago when they pipped Liverpool to the crown.

They also won the League Cup that year, and they will be hoping that the recent trend of the last two winners of the competition going on to win the title continues this time around. When City won it under Manuel Pellegrini in 2014, they won nine of their final 10 league matches to storm in the Premier League title too. However, it should also be noted that their one defeat in that time did come at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield.

While City's sights will have been set firmly in an upward trajectory for the majority of the season, they well have one eye cast nervously over their shoulder right now. Manchester United's victory over Arsenal at the weekend cut the gap between the local rivals to three points, and should City lose tonight and United win against Watford then it would only be goal difference separating fourth and fifth. It would be a disaster for City should they miss out on Champions League football just as Pep Guardiola is arriving at the club.

If they are to stave off that threat then they certainly need to improve their consistency. They have not won consecutive league matches since October, winning seven, drawing five and losing five since then. It is a record many teams in the league would take, but it certainly isn't title-winning form. After tonight's match they will be expecting maximum points from back-to-back games against Norwich City and Aston Villa, before a potentially huge Manchester derby on March 20.

It is clear that goals are not their problem - only Spurs and Leicester have scored more this season, and both have played more games than the Citizens. However, Leicester are the only team in the top five to have a worse defensive record than City, who have conceded 28 goals in their 26 league outings this season. Interestingly, considering their aforementioned poor away form, they have actually kept a league-high seven clean sheets on the road this season.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction! Sunday's match went all the way and, while City arguably should have won it before it went all the way to penalties, ultimately there was nothing to separate the two sides on the scoreboard. That could well be the case again this evening, and I am going for another 1-1 draw between the pair.

City obviously got the upper hand in the League Cup final on Sunday, but it is Liverpool who have had the edge in this fixture as far as the Premier League is concerned. They have won three of the last four league meetings between the sides, including that scintillating performance at the Etihad earlier this season when Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead inside 32 minutes before going on to win 4-1. Before this recent spell of three wins from four, though, Liverpool had only won one of the previous 10 league meetings between the sides.

Anfield is something of a bogey ground for City too. They have failed to win any of their last 12 Premier League visits here, drawing four and losing eight since Nicolas Anelka's brace against his former club overturned a Milan Baros opener in May 2003. Their Anfield woes go back much further than that, though - they have won only two of their last 47 visits here in a run that stretches back to 1956.

In recent times, this fixture has usually provided plenty of drama and entertainment. The last nine meetings in all competitions have seen 34 goals at an average of 3.8 per game, with both teams scoring in each of those matches. Hopefully we will be in for more of the same this evening!

UPDATE: Some good news for Man City fans just before kickoff - West Ham United have taken the lead against Tottenham through Michail Antonio. That will allow City to close the gap on Spurs in the title race, although on the flip side it does draw the Hammers ever closer to fourth.

Right, were fast approaching kickoff now, so let me quickly steer you in the direction of this week's episode of The Dugout. Arsenal get top billing following their loss to Manchester United at the weekend as we discuss if the Gunners have blown their best chance of the title for 12 years, along with a variety of other subjects. Have a listen while following the game!

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Man City get us underway at Anfield as they look to follow up their League Cup success with another win over Liverpool

Liverpool are again trying to make a quick start to the match, as they did in the reverse league fixture, but City are holding firm. The biggest cheer so far came in the opening seconds when Flanagan went into a crunching challenge on Sterling.

UPDATE: Another goal has gone in that could have a say in the title race, but this time it is bad news for City as Arsenal have taken the lead against Swansea through Joel Campbell.

Liverpool have enjoyed 78% of the ball in the opening exchanges here, which gives you an indication of how quickly the hosts have settled. They haven't threatened Hart's goal yet, though.

Flanagan has actually started this game on the right flank, with Clyne switching over to the left for this game. Flanagan has often played on the left during his Liverpool career so far, so that is a surprise switch from Klopp.

Flanagan again delights the Liverpool fans by barging into Sterling, but this time he gives away a free kick in a dangerous crossing position...

CHANCE! It's half a chance for City too as Fernandinho meets the resulting delivery but glances his header well wide when he probably should do better.

Liverpool are still seeing more of the ball and playing the more attacking football, but this City centre-back partnership of Kompany and Otamendi looks so much sturdier than the one Liverpool tore to shreds in the reverse fixture.

Liverpool are working really hard off the ball and pressing City well when the visitors do have possession, but the hosts have been disappointing in the final third so far.

Milner has a chance to let fly from distance, but his powerful strike hits Clichy and still Hart is untested in the City goal.

UPDATE: This has the potential to be a very good midweek for Man City, with Leicester dropping points yesterday and Tottenham currently losing to West Ham. Arsenal have also just been pegged back, with Wayne Routledge drawing Swansea level at the Emirates.

There have been a number of occasions when Liverpool have looked for an early ball forward from midfield that has just run straight through to the keeper. It hasn't happened for either side in an attacking sense so far.

SAVE! Finally one of the goalkeepers is called into action, and it is Hart who makes a routine stop. Firmino is the man who goals for goal from outside the box, but it is straight at the Man City keeper.

Man City respond with their best attacking move of the game and the ball is eventually fed down the right channel for Zabaleta. The full-back cuts a ball across from the byline which Mignolet bats away.

Again City come down that right side, with Navas the man to put the ball in the box this time. It is a low delivery into a dangerous area, but it is too far in front of any of his teammates.

Aguero almost threatens for the first time as he wriggles his way past a couple of red shirts to the edge of the box. He is eventually crowded out, though, and another attack breaks down.

The game is beginning to open up a little more now, and Liverpool come forward this time. Can tries to thread a pass through to Flanagan, but the ball just runs away from the full-back and behind for a goal kick.

SHOT! Sterling is afforded a bit of space outside the box and chooses to try his luck. His long-range effort flies comfortably wide, though - much to the delight of the home fans.

Almost an opening for City as they come forward down the left flank. Silva picks the ball up inside the area, but before he can wriggle into space to do anything of harm, Liverpool win it back and clear the danger.

Again City threaten with some passing around the edge of the area, but after a moment of pinball Silva's pass runs through to Mignolet. Both defences have been very much on top so far.

Out of nothing, Liverpool take the lead! Milner slips the ball inside to Lallana, who is allowed space to bring it forward and have a go. He doesn't catch his shot particularly well, but it is accurate and rolls into the bottom corner. Hart may have been a little unsighted, but he will be very disappointed with that. He didn't move his feet at all and, while is should have been a fairly comfortable stop, he didn't get anywhere near it.

That has raised the volume levels inside Anfield, and Liverpool respond on the pitch with another decent move. However, this one comes to an end when Firmino is flagged offside.

The game needed a goal as there hadn't been much to shout about in an attacking sense before that. Leicester, meanwhile, must be delighted with how things are going here - their three title rivals are all dropping points as things stand!

3 - Adam Lallana has scored three goals in his last four PL games, the same amount as in his previous 37 apps. Improvement. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 2, 2016

City are in trouble here! Liverpool double their lead as Lallana back-heels it to Firmino, who in turn feeds a pass into the feet of Milner. He takes the ball in his stride and then sweeps it past Hart to put the hosts in complete control of this game!

That is Milner's 41st Premier League goal, and on the previous 40 occasions he has scored, his side have never lost. It is certainly a long way back for City now, and potentially a fatal blow to their title hopes.

Very important piece of defending from Flanagan as he gets a foot in just as Aguero had fed the ball in towards Silva. Had he not made that interception then it would have been a clear chance.

CHANCE! This time it is Milner who makes a really important block, getting himself in the way of Aguero's header just a couple of yards in front of the line.

Martin Atkinson brings an end to the first half at Anfield, then, and it is Liverpool who are in command of this one. They take a 2-0 lead into the break, despite clear-cut chances being few and far between for the most part. The Reds looked to make a quick start, but in terms of action in the final third there has been little to shout about other than the two goals.

In truth, the first goal should have been a relatively minor incident too. Lallana picked the ball up inside and was allowed to bring the ball forward into shooting range. His effort was not the best, but Hart failed to move his feet and ended up getting nowhere the fairly tame effort as it crept into the bottom corner. The defence also must shoulder some of the blame for not closing Lallana down, but Hart will be the most upset by the opener.

The second goal came at the end of a lovely team move from the Reds, with Lallana flicking the ball into the path of Firmino, who in turn fed it to Milner. The former Manchester City man took it in his stride perfectly, bursting into the box with his first touch before poking it past Hart and in off the post. It leaves Man City with a huge mountain to climb in the second half if they are to avoid falling to three consecutive league defeats for the first time since November 2008.

City have had one or two promising attacking moments, but Mignolet's main piece of action in that first half was beating away a cross from Zabaleta. The Belgian has been well protected aside from that, with Liverpool pressing City really well and giving them no time on the ball whatsoever. Aguero, Silva and Sterling have all been quiet, and the visitors will need to improve significantly in the second half if they are to get back into this game.

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for this second half, and the visitors have made a change at the break, with Wilfried Bony replacing Sterling on the latter's unhappy return to Anfield.

SAVE! Liverpool have made a bright start to this second half too, and Hart needs to make an important stop here. Flanagan finds Milner in a good position and he in turn finds Origi. The Belgian striker has men in support but, with the angle against him, goes for goal himself. It is a decent effort, but Hart gets down well to turn it away and Fernandinho completes the clearance.

Liverpool have made the brighter start to this second half of the two teams. Their work off the ball really has been impressive, with a cluster of red shirts around all of City's key players every time they get the ball.

Goals from Adam Lallana and James Milner are currently sending Liverpool to back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time in 2016.

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Pellegrini appears to be readying another attacking change in the early stages of the second half, which is a sign of how damaging he thinks defeat could be here. Iheanacho is getting his instructions on the sidelines.

MAN CITY SUB: There is the change as Fernandinho makes way for Kelechi Iheanacho. City now have three strikers all on - it will be interesting to see how they set up now.

It's surely game over now! Otamendi's horrendous touch gifts the ball to Henderson, who in turn feeds it towards Origi. He can't quite collect it, but Lallana picks up the loose ball before timing his pass to perfection to send Firmino clean through on goal. From there, it is a relatively simple finish for the Brazilian as he curls it into the bottom corner.

SAVE! Liverpool want a fourth here! They move the ball about nicely again and it is Milner who has the chance to shoot this time. He curls his effort towards goal, but Hart pushes it over the top.

UPDATE: Leicester appeared to have dropped two points last night, but now it is looking like a valuable point gained! Swansea have just taken the lead against Arsenal through Ashley Williams, which means that Tottenham, Arsenal and Man City are all losing tonight.

Good work again from Milner as he dances past Zabaleta with some nice footwork before going for goal, but he fires his effort off target.

City may be playing with three strikers and have no option but to throw caution to the wind, but it is still Liverpool who have looked by far the more dangerous of the two sides in this second half. They will have more space going forward as City get more and more desperate too, so they could well get more here.

YELLOW CARD! Navas becomes the first name in the book this evening for a little kick out at Lallana. Not much in it, but those are always likely to end in a caution.

LIVERPOOL SUB: The hosts make their first change of the night as Divock Origi is replaced by Christian Benteke.

Very good defending from Toure as he shows an unlikely turn of pace to keep up with Aguero and then shrug the Argentine off the ball. Aguero had burst past Lovren and was looking dangerous, but Toure was there to draw a huge cheer from the home fans.

It will be interesting to hear whether Man City fans would have rathered lose on Sunday and win this match with the other results as they are tonight. It is hard to see them recovering the 10-point deficit that they will be left with after this, while they will only be one point clear of West Ham as things stand.

MAN CITY SUB: The visitors make their third and final change of the evening as Aleksandar Kolarov replaces Clichy.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool also make a change, with Firmino being replaced by Joe Allen.

That third goal really killed off City's hopes in this match. They have offered nothing going forward since then, although in truth their attacking threat has been minimal throughout. Mignolet still has not had a meaningful save to make.

UPDATE: The final whistle has blown at the Emirates, and Arsenal have lost 2-1 at home to Swansea! Spurs have also lost against West Ham at Upton Park, which means that Leicester will end the day still three points clear. It couldn't have gone any better for them this evening!

Pellegrini will be keeping an ear out for events at Old Trafford too. Manchester United are still being held by Watford there, but a late goal for the hosts would send them level on points with City.

UPDATE: And United have got that late goal! Juan Mata has broken the deadlock at Old Trafford and a bad night for Man City gets even worse! Surely they won't miss out on the Champions League before Pep gets there?!

CLOSE! Almost a fourth for Liverpool as Henderson curls a fine free kick over the wall but, with Hart rooted to the spot, it flies narrowly past the post.

LIVERPOOL SUB: A third and final change for Liverpool, and it is a great ovation for Milner as he departs to be replaced by Jordon Ibe.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

CLOSE! Almost a spectacular fourth for Liverpool as the ball drops invitingly for Allen, who sends a brilliant dipping volley onto the roof of the net.

Well, well, well. It won't completely rid Liverpool of the disappointment of losing the League Cup final, but it will certainly lift their spirits. They cruise to a 3-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield, and the scoreline does not flatter them either. Adam Lallana, James Milner and Roberto Firmino got the goals for the hosts to lift them up to eighth, now just six adrift of the top four. City, meanwhile, remain a full 10 points behind Leicester and are level on points with fifth-placed Manchester United.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Manchester City's title hopes are dealt a major (fatal?) blow by Liverpool, who avenge their League Cup final defeat with a 3-0 triumph. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around to reaction from this match and the others this evening on what has proved to be a perfect night for Leicester. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!