IT’S BOTTLE STATIONS AS PEP TOASTS CITY HEROES

PEP GUARDIOLA questioned whether Liverpool had the bottle to win the club’s first title for 29 years.

Now we will find out after Guardiola’s Manchester City inflicted a first league defeat of the season on Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Reds to blow the title race wide open.

It looked like the Anfield side would pass their toughest test yet when Roberto Firmino cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s opener by nodding home Andy Robertson’s superb cross.

But Leroy Sane smacked home the winner 18 minutes from time to seal a massive three points for the champions.

City’s stunning win has closed the gap on Liverpool to just four points, with Klopp and his players now able to feel the breath of the champions on their necks.

On a pulsating night, City

DAVID McDONNELL AT ETIHAD STADIUM

reminded the football world just why they are champions, despite their recent blips, and showed Klopp why this title race is far from over.

A win here would have seen Liverpool open up a seemingly unassailable nine-point lead over Spurs at the top and a 10-point advantage over City.

Now, after a first league defeat of a remarkable campaign, comes the real test for Liverpool. Can they recover from this setback or will the weight of history and expectation prove too much?

The answers will come but one thing is certain – City are not giving up their status as champions without a fight.

In what amounted to a must-win game for his side, Guardiola will not have needed reminding Klopp had inflicted more defeats on him than any other manager.

The Anfield boss had lost just one of their past eight meetings, while holding a 7-5