LIVERPOOL: Mohamed Salah, the Arab and African Player of the Year, scored yet again as Liverpool handed Manchester City their first Premier League defeat this season with a thrilling 4-3 win at Anfield.
City swaggered into Anfield unbeaten in the top flight in 30 matches and widely heralded as champions-elect amid talk that they could go throughout the entire league campaign without losing.
But 90 minutes later, Pep Guardiola's side were licking their wounds after their first domestic defeat since the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal last season.
They were beaten at their own game as Jurgen Klopp's team delivered a scintillating display that allayed fears they may struggle follow the sale of Brazil forward Coutinho to Barcelona.
In their first match following Coutinho's exit, Liverpool were on fire from the moment Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave them an early lead.
Leroy Sane equalised before half-time, but Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Salah, with his 25th goal of the season, destroyed City after the break with three goals in nine thrilling minutes.
Late goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan made the final score closer than City deserved.
It was a rare chastening experience this season for City, but shouldn't prove damaging to their title bid as they remain 15 points clear of second-placed Manchester United, who host Stoke on Monday.
Liverpool go above Chelsea into third place after extending their unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions.
"We will see what it gives us for the rest of the season," said Klopp. "To score four in the week after Phil Coutinho leaves the club is a big statement. To concede three goals was not too cool but as a manager if you play football like we do the rest will come. For tonight it’s perfect — that's a fair result."
Guardiola was magnanimous in defeat. "Congratulations to Liverpool for the victory," he said. "The game was in our hands at 1-1 but our finishing was not good and then it went suddenly to 4-1. You have to be stable when you concede a goal and we were not solid enough. You have to live this kind of situation in the season.
"The reality is we lose the game, we have a week to recover and prepare for the Newcastle game. All credit to the opponent, we know how difficult it is against a Jurgen Klopp team, so aggressive, at Anfield too. We did a good performance apart from a few minutes.
"After the second goal they scored two in a few minutes and it is hard to recover from that. In every press conference for the last few months you have said that the Premier League us done and I always said no. It is still to be done. We will defend our position game by game."