This Klopp side clearly spent as a title force

ONE-SIDED RIVALRY: Klopp congratulates City boss Guardiola

SIR ALEX FERGUSON and Arsene Wenger are the first managers to be inducted into the Premier League’s Hall of Fame.

The pair contributed jointly to a dominance by Manchester United and Arsenal.

It was, though, when boiled down to the harsh numbers, a one-sided rivalry – 13 topflight titles to Ferguson to three from Wenger.

How will the modern-day equivalent between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp be seen through the lens of history?

The same in miniature probably. The title split currently stands, like yesterday’s final score, at

4-1 to Guardiola.

The Catalan, by virtue of this convincing win, remains in the shake-up for a fifth.

The German has some serious navel-gazing to do.

Liverpool, as a title force, are spent. That much has been clear for some time and was all too obvious by the yawning gap between the two sides yesterday.

Klopp mostly cut a disconsolate figure after the break. A summer rebuild on his mind, perhaps.

Afterwards he sounded as low as at any time during his tenure at Liverpool.

Guardiola, meanwhile, has the bit between his teeth as his City side chase success on three fronts.

After six years at City, he is as up for the trophy hunt as ever. The Champions League may be his Holy Grail at City but he is not giving up the league lightly.

Yesterday, against his old sparring partner, was a critical game in the pursuit of Arsenal and he lived it all. Even without the formidable Erling Haaland available, the striker (right) was only watching from the sidelines, it was largely an afternoon of purring delight for Guardiola.

He could not contain himself when Julian Alvarez equalised and found himself celebrating with the Liverpool substitutes returning to their dugout after a warm-up.

Guardiola played to the home crowd from thereon in, saluting the stands when Kevin de Bruyne put City ahead then blowing kisses in the same direction when Ilkay Gundogan made it 3-1.

When Jack Grealish made it four Klopp threw in the towel and sent on James Milner to stop any more bleeding – as City played training ground keep ball.

The final whistle brought a repeat of the warm cuddle before kick-off from the two managers.

Theirs is a different rivalry to that of Ferguson and Wenger. Less spiky certainly and with fewer pizzas flying around but keenly felt nonetheless.

They have now garnered a towering 1,198 points from 540 games split 600 to 598 in Guardiola’s favour.

In that sense it has been a tight battle.

It isn’t right now.