Champion display is a statement by Blues

Great cross-field ball, silly header, but his aggression in defence was key to containing Liverpool

Never looked fazed by a dangerous attack, playing football out of defence like a veteran.

Strong and decisive when needed, after seeing Salah skate past him and hit the post.

He switched off a couple of times early on, but he improved enormously at both ends.

Matched that Liverpool physicality in midfield and linked up beautifully with Gundogan.

Couple of nervy moments early, but some of his passing and link-up work were of the highest quality.

Scored from the spot, and played a key role in the second and third, and was all-round excellent!

Mature performance in many ways, but brimming with youthful vim, technical quality and goal threat. Superb.

Had a tough time against Van Dijk, but fluffed a great chance he created for himself and was instantly hauled off.

His first league goal against his old club were well deserved and he did superbly to win the penalty.

sUBstItUtes

RIYAD MAHReZ: (Jesus, 58) Joined in the fun 7 JoAo CANCeLo: (Walker, 73) NICoLAs otAMeNDI: (Laporte, 78) BeRNARDo sILVA: (sterling, 78)

Not UseD: Bravo, stones, Zinchenko, D silva, Doyle

THIS could be dressed up as a statement performance from City, the 2018 and 2019 Premier League champions reacting to their guard of honour to embarrass the 2020 winners and ridicule suggestions Liverpool could be unstoppable for years.

And it was. Goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden had the Blues 3-0 up at the break against a full-strength Liverpool side, with a fourth meaning Alisson conceded as many goals in this game as he had in the previous 17 league matches.

For Pep Guardiola, though, it was also a vindication of what he has been saying for some time – his team are really not that far away from Liverpool, despite what the yawning points gap in the table would suggest.

The match itself was far closer than the scoreline indicated. A high level from both teams was on display from the off, with Gabriel Jesus finding the net from an offside position in the third minute before Mo Salah forced Ederson into his first save seconds later.

Salah soon went even closer, striking the post as Liverpool pressed high and hunted for the faults that have been evident in far too many games across the Blues’ backline.

If defensive errors have been one reason for City’s failed title defence, wastefulness in front of goal has been another. The sight of Tottenham battered by Sheffield United in the early kick-off brought back unpleasant memories of both meetings with the North London side this season where the Blues completely outclassed them and yet managed to drop five points.

Here, everything came together perfectly as Guardiola’s side scored three goals from their first three shots on target.

Sterling, who hasn’t enjoyed many of these meetings since moving down the M62 in 2015, earned the first with a turn in the box that was too clever for Joe Gomez to handle, the defender forced to grapple his England teammate to try and stop him and only succeeding in conceding a penalty.

De Bruyne, the best player at the club and in the league, showcased his talent for penalties with a fearless finish past Alisson for his fourth consecutive success from the spot. Within ten minutes, it was 2-0. A lightning break involved Benjamin Mendy, Ilkay Gundogan and Jesus before Foden picked out Sterling to cut inside Gomez and nutmeg the defender as the ball nestled into the net.

Then it was Foden’s turn to star. The 20-year-old came close to starting the reverse fixture but eventually had to settle for a place on the bench and another chorus of questions around his future. This performance, his latest

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@ManCityMEN

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JULY 5 S’HAMPTON (A) PREMIER LEAGUE 7PM

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outstanding display, gave the strongest suggestion yet that his long wait is over and his goal was superb, a crisp one-two exchanged with De Bruyne before a flawless right-footed finish from the edge of the box.

Foden is worth lingering on because of how important he is to City’s future.

It was a significant call from Guardiola to pick him ahead of Riyad Mahrez, David Silva and Bernardo Silva and even more so because it was in a right-wing position that he has so rarely featured.

Similarly in defence, the youth of Eric Garcia was chosen ahead of the experience of John Stones or Nicolas Otamendi.

City may need a rebuild, as the manager alluded to this week, but these two players look central to their plans for years to come and showed they can deliver against a team that has already been lauded as one of the best ever seen in English football.

This level of ruthless, clinical attacking will encourage Pep for the FA Cup, Champions League and next season