Liverpool have closed the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea back to six points courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield this evening.
Georginio Wijnaldum scored the only goal of the final Premier League game of 2016 as Liverpool ended the year by moving four points clear of third-placed City, who now find themselves 10 points adrift of Chelsea.
Liverpool, who have now won four consecutive league games against Manchester City for the first time since 1981, took just eight minutes to break the deadlock against their top-four rivals through a quick counter-attack that saw Wijnaldum power a header from Adam Lallana's cross past a helpless Claudio Bravo.
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City continued to see more of the ball, but struggled to create any clear chances as Liverpool kept their game-changers - including the returning Sergio Aguero - quiet.
Bravo was not much busier than his opposite number Simon Mignolet, though, and shots from Wijnaldum and Emre Can around the half-hour mark were the closest either side came to a second goal before the half-time interval.
The hosts did waste a big chance to double their tally with just one minute of the first half remaining, though, when Lallana strayed offside after Roberto Firmino had dispossessed Yaya Toure in a dangerous position.
Wijnaldum's goal was the only shot on target of the first half at either end, though, while Man City managed just three touches inside the Liverpool box despite seeing most of the possession in the opening 45 minutes.
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Liverpool had a chance to double their advantage in the first minute of the second half when Nathaniel Clyne found space inside the area, but the ball never sat up right for the full-back and Aleksandar Kolarov did enough to avert the danger.
City finally started to get into the game in an attacking sense after the restart, though, and Aguero registered their first shot on target in the 54th minute with a 25-yard effort that Mignolet comfortably collected.
David Silva came close just a minute later when he ducked into shooting space on the edge of the box before firing a low shot narrowly wide of the far post, before Raheem Sterling and Kolarov had volleyed efforts of their own that failed to trouble Mignolet.
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Liverpool soon managed to stem the tide of shots on their goal, but City continued to keep the pressure on the hosts to set up a nervy final 10 minutes.
However, the Reds held out to claim all three points and a fourth consecutive victory, setting a new club record for the Premier League era of 43 points at the halfway stage of the season.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last 24 home matches across all competitions, including a 17-game streak in the Premier League that stretches back just under a year.
City, meanwhile, failed to score for just the second time in their last 27 league outings and could now drop out of the top four if Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both win tomorrow.
Barney Corkhill
