Liverpool have cruised to a 3-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield this evening to put a major dent in the visitors' title hopes and avenge Sunday's League Cup final defeat.
Goals from Adam Lallana, James Milner and Roberto Firmino steered the hosts to consecutive league victories for the first time in 2016, leaving Man City still 10 points adrift of leaders Leicester City.
© Getty Images
Just three days removed from a League Cup final that went all the way to penalties between the same two sides, it was a slow start to the match at Anfield, with City having the only minor sight of goal in the opening 20 minutes when Fernandinho glanced a header wide from inside the area.
The first shot on target finally arrived midway through the first half when Firmino curled an effort towards goal from outside the area, but it was a routine stop for Joe Hart.
It should have been a routine stop when Liverpool took the lead too, but Hart's lack of foot movement saw him get nowhere near Lallana's tame 25-yard strike as it crept into the bottom corner.
© Getty Images
The hosts had their second just seven minutes later to leave City in trouble, with Lallana and Firmino combining to find Milner, who burst into the box before poking his finish in off the post against his former club.
With their title hopes fading away and even their Champions League place under threat, City had no choice but to throw caution to the wind, and it took an important block from Milner to deny Sergio Aguero a goal back right at the end of the first half.
Manuel Pellegrini took action at half time to bring on Wilfried Bony in place of Raheem Sterling, who failed to make an impact on his first return to Anfield since his acrimonious departure last summer.
It was Liverpool who made the brighter start to the second half, though, with Hart being forced into a smart low stop to deny Divock Origi just two minutes after the restart.
A third arrived shortly before the hour mark to effectively end the game as a contest, with Lallana pouncing on a loose ball before threading a pass through for Firmino to curl into the bottom corner from inside the box.
© Getty Images
Liverpool continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides despite having the match wrapped up, and the visitors needed another save from Hart to deny Milner moments after their third goal.
The final half-hour played out as though both sides knew the match was over, with Jordan Henderson coming closest in the closing stages when his free kick whistled just past the post with Hart rooted to the spot.
Joe Allen also threatened to add a spectacular fourth in stoppage time when he tried his luck with a long-range dipping volley that flew just over the bar and landed on the roof of the net.
City at least ensured that no further damage was done, but the defeat now leaves them level on points with local rivals Manchester United and looking over their shoulders rather than focusing on a title challenge.
Liverpool, meanwhile, climb up to eighth in the table and are now just six points off the Champions League places themselves.
Barney Corkhill
