Premier League: Liverpool Pick Big Win Over Manchester City To Retain League Leadership

Manchester City are beginning to get the message that Liverpool are on a big ride after suffering a massive 3-1 defeat at Anfield as Reds extended table dominance by eight points to closest rivals, Leicester City.

Jurgen Klopp's men had strong control of the game as much as their rivals and within a space of seven minutes scored twice, early in the first half through Fabinho and Mohamed Salah, then launched the second half by widening the margin through Sadio Mane heading in the third goal.

Even when City managed to pull by a goal with 12 minutes remaining to play from Bernando Silva's strike from close range, Liverpool held them off from staging a comeback to secure the well-deserved victory over their arch-rival.

Sadio Mane scores his 11th goal heading into the goal Jordan Henderson's cross

The before Jordan Henderson set off the killer cross for Mane to nail in the winning goal, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero had come close to pulling a goal back but none materialized. Pep Guardiola later said he is glad about the way his men played but they are now trailing the top spot by nine points to be in the fourth position.

Mind you, last season, both team fiercely contended for the league but it fell on City laps by just a point difference. In the same season that Reds were denied the title, they won the Champions League on their second successive final appearance.

Though there was a penalty that viewers may think should have been awarded to City when Bernando Silva's cross caught Trent Alexander-Arnold on the arm in the box just before Fabinho scored the opening goal from 25-yard. Referee Michael Oliver waved play on before the Fabinho's strike anyway.

"We lost - we'd liked to win but now we have to rest and prepare for Chelsea next [weekend]," Guardiola said. "We played an incredible performance, I don't know how many teams can come to this stadium and play the way we did."

Liverpool are yet to concede a league game at home in 17 straight matches and have won 11 of their 12 matches played thus far this season to be on top of the league table with 34 points.