Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini claimed that "two beautiful goals" were the difference as Liverpool edged out the champions with a 2-1 win at Anfield on Sunday.
Jordan Henderson opened the scoring with a curled effort for the hosts before Edin Dzeko struck an equaliser, but Philippe Coutinho wrapped home a shot from outside the box in the second half to dent City's title push.
The Citizens manager told BBC Sport after the game: "It was a close game but Liverpool won because they scored two beautiful goals. But in the first half we lost too many balls, especially in the first 15 minutes.
"After that we equalised and then hit the post through Sergio Aguero. But in the second half we didn't arrive in their box so we tried to change our style of play.
"Playing two up front at Anfield was the best decision. It was a close game and they won the game when we had one striker on. I'm concerned that we are losing the ball too much - pressure is a factor. There is much we must analyse to improve."
Pellegrini's men currently trail leaders Chelsea by five points in the Premier League table.
Paul Gorst
