Liverpool faced disgraced Man City at Anfield 11 times during their financial breaches era - how many of these matches do you remember?
Former Liverpool No. 10 Philippe Coutinho scored two winners against Manchester City at Anfield during the period covered by the Premier League investigation
Former Liverpool No. 10 Philippe Coutinho scored two winners against Manchester City at Anfield during the period covered by the Premier League investigation
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(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
For Liverpool fans desperate to see their team win, Sunday's game (Oct 11) against Manchester City in the Premier League is about more than just kicking a rival when they're down.
It's about defiance, vindication and justice. Three qualities that are synonymous with Liverpool. Few rival teams have a better sense of how Anfield can channel them than City, who travel to Anfield this weekend on the back of being handed a guilty verdict on all charges levelled against them by the Premier League for financial misconduct.
City, who have appealed the decision, were found to have deliberately disguised owner funding as sponsor income and misrepresented revenue and costs to the tune of more than £900m between 2009 to 2018, allowing them to tilt the playing field, distort the transfer market and construct a team that has dominated English football for the last decade.
City faced off against England's most successful club at Anfield 11 times during the nine-year period covered by the investigation and never got the better of them there, even during seasons when the gap between the two sides was considerably greater than it has been in recent years.
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In fact, Liverpool's unbeaten record at home to City in front of fans - which was only ended last season with a 2-1 Premier League defeat in February - lasted 24 years in all competitions, dating all the way back to another 2-1 defeat in May 2003 during Gerard Houllier's time in charge.
Anfield is always a tough assignment for the Reds' next opponents, then, and Sunday will present a completely different kind of challenge for Enzo Maresca's side.
In the light of the independent commission's verdict, we've looked back on every Anfield game between the sides during those nine years - how many do you remember?
2-2 (Premier League: 13) - Nov 21, 2009
Emmanuel Adebayor's battle with Martin Skrtel, who scored his first Liverpool goal in this game, defined the tussle at Anfield in the 2009-10 season
Emmanuel Adebayor's battle with Martin Skrtel, who scored his first Liverpool goal in this game, defined the tussle at Anfield in the 2009-10 season(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Agger (Kyrgiakos 11'), Insua; Lucas, Mascherano; Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel (Benayoun 18' (Aurelio 85')); N'Gog
Man City (4-3-3): Given; Zabaleta, K. Toure (Onuoha 46'), Lescott, Bridge; de Jong, Barry (Tevez 61'), Ireland; Wright-Phillips, Bellamy, Adebayor
The summer of 2009 was something of a turning point for both clubs, with transfer moves leaving prolonged effects - even if the following year's business received more focus at the time.
For Liverpool, Xabi Alonso's exit to Real Madrid went down like a lead balloon amongst fans and Alberto Aquilani proved an underwhelming replacement, even when fit; while the experienced head of Sami Hyypia also departed to play out the final two years of his career at Bayer Leverkusen.
Maxi Rodriguez and Glen Johnson, who arrived from Atletico Madrid and Portsmouth respectively, would go on to have decent spells at Anfield. But the financially struggling Reds could not compete with City's then-record expenditure and suffered a drop-off from the title challenge of the previous season, losing five of their first 11 league games.
In Sheikh Mansour's first summer transfer window after purchasing the club the previous year, City spent £120m on figures who would be instrumental in carrying the team up the league, like Carlos Tevez, Kolo Toure, Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott.
When the two sides met in November, just a point separated Liverpool in seventh, on 19, from City in sixth with 20. That was how the table remained following a game best remembered for Martin Skrtel's first Liverpool goal, and Yossi Benayoun's quick riposte to rescue a draw after Stephen Ireland had made it 2-1 for the visitors.
Martin Skrtel had easily beaten Emmanuel Adebayor to stab home his goal from a Steven Gerrard free kick, but the divisive former Togo striker had then redeemed himself with an equaliser before it was Liverpool's turn to peg City back.
The Abu Dhabi ownership group's patience for manager Mark Hughes would last less than a month, with the former Manchester United player replaced by Roberto Mancini in December - a deal which came under scrutiny as part of the later investigation.
The reverse fixture at the Etihad (then still the City of Manchester Stadium) in February didn't produce the same excitement, finishing as a 0-0 draw.
City would go on to finish fifth under Mancini, while Liverpool would slump to seventh - securing Europa League qualification but marking a sad end to an era which had brought so much joy with Rafa Benitez at the helm.
Goals: Skrtel 50', Benayoun 77'; Adebayor 69', Ireland 76'
3-0 (Premier League: 32) - Apr 11, 2011
Another first: Andy Carroll, the £35m signing from Newcastle United in January, scored his first two Liverpool goals in the thumping 3-0 win
Another first: Andy Carroll, the £35m signing from Newcastle United in January, scored his first two Liverpool goals in the thumping 3-0 win(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-2-2-2): Reina; Flanagan, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio; Spearing, Lucas; Kuyt, Meireles; Carroll (N'Gog 90'), Suarez
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Boyata, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; Barry, Y. Toure; Johnson, Tevez (Balotelli 16' (de Jong 83')), Milner (D. Silva 59'); Dzeko
If summer 2009 was a hint at the direction of the two clubs, the summer of 2010 shouted it through a megaphone. City broke the £120m barrier for a second consecutive season, signing future club legends Yaya Toure and David Silva along with future Liverpool hero James Milner as Mancini prepared for his first full season.
Liverpool, meanwhile, had probably their most disastrous transfer window of all time, new manager Roy Hodgson bringing in such faces as Jonjo Shelvey, Christian Poulsen, Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky as Benayoun, Javier Mascherano and Albert Riera left the club.
Raul Meireles proved a shrewd aquisition from Porto, but Hodgson's Reds sank to new lows. Liverpool were thrashed 3-0 by City in Manchester in the second game of the season and were left sitting in the relegation zone in October - while chaos off the pitch with co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett left Liverpool on the brink of administration.
New England Sports Ventures, later known as Fenway Sports Group (FSG), stepped in to buy the club and clear its debts, rescuing Liverpool from potential disaster, and by January they had replaced Hodgson with Kop icon Kenny Dalglish.
Dalglish had his work cut out, losing Fernando Torres to Chelsea in mid-season and struggling to coax goals out of record signing Andy Carroll, but the strong form of fellow new signing Luis Suarez and the reliable Dirk Kuyt helped Liverpool through the remainder of a season when club captain Gerrard was largely forced to sit on the sidelines through injury.
When the two sides met again in April, City were 11 points ahead in fourth, with Champions League qualification looking unlikely for Liverpool. The Reds had just suffered a 2-1 defeat away at West Bromwich Albion, while their opponents were looking to build on a 5-0 trouncing of Sunderland, as well as their convincing win in the reverse fixture.
Instead, Liverpool comprehensively beat City with three first-half goals before seeing out the game in the second half. Carroll finally got off the mark with two goals after sitting out the first month of his Liverpool career injured.
The first was a sensational, fizzing strike from range that swerved away from Joe Hart. Kuyt later guided the Reds' second into the corner from the edge of the area before Carroll added a trademark header just a minute later.
City may have had one eye on the upcoming FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United five days later, but Mancini would be left sorely disappointed after fielding a strong team against Liverpool containing the likes of Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Tevez.
City went on to beat United and win the FA Cup final against Stoke City - a result which then-Stoke manager Tony Pulis has now questioned in the light of the independent commission's verdict - and finished the season in third place.
Ironically, given the scale (and irregularity) of City's spending, it was Liverpool who were lambasted for spending £35m on Carroll, though his signing did prove to be a disappointing one.
The Reds finished the season in sixth and failed to qualify for Europe for the first time after the millennium - though the future now looked much brighter than it had just months prior.
Goals: Carroll 13', Kuyt 34', Carroll 35'
1-1 (Premier League: 13) - Nov 27, 2011
Charlie Adam's deflected strike, which went down as a Joleon Lescott own goal, was enough to earn Liverpool a point in 2011
Charlie Adam's deflected strike, which went down as a Joleon Lescott own goal, was enough to earn Liverpool a point in 2011(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Lucas; Kuyt (Carroll 84'), Adam, Henderson, Downing; Suarez
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Barry, Y. Toure; Milner, D. Silva (K. Toure 90'), Nasri (Balotelli 65'); Aguero (Dzeko 82')
Barring the standout recruitment of future Premier League and European Cup-winning captain Jordan Henderson, the 2011 summer transfer window was another misstep for Liverpool.
Craig Bellamy enjoyed a fruitful second spell at Anfield but left after just one year, while none of the other five major incomings in Charlie Adam, Sebastian Coates, Stewart Downing or Jose Enrique made a lasting impression, though Enrique played a useful squad role into the Jurgen Klopp era.
For City, this was the transfer window that elevated them from a top four side into a title-winning team, with Samir Nasri arriving to add depth in attacking areas and Sergio Aguero to ultimately fire them to victory on the final day.
The Manchester side arrived unbeaten at Anfield on matchday 13, and another late November home clash produced another score draw. Liverpool's No. 9, Carroll, was made to settle for the bench for a second week running after featuring for just a minute in the previous week's 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, while Pepe Reina wore the armband in the absence of Gerrard through another injury.
The first half was end-to-end, Kompany's bullet header from a corner immediately cancelled out after a speculative effort from Adam was diverted past Joe Hart by former Everton man Lescott, much to the delight of Anfield.
A bouncing effort from Downing forced a brilliant save from Hart in the second half before future Liverpool flop Mario Balotelli proceeded to see red for two mindless bookings.
Many Reds supporters felt aggrieved by some fairly agricultural defending against Suarez by City's defenders. Animosity between the two sides had certainly grown by this point, each team having dished out a thumping to the other the previous season.
City's Aguero moment on the final day will forever be tainted by the outcome of the investigation, but its impact was seismic - not least in heralding the beginning of the end for Sir Alex Ferguson's era as Man United manager and signalling a changing of the guard at the top of the English game.
Liverpool finished eighth, their lowest final position in the Premier League era, and Dalglish would be replaced by Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers in a move that raised eyebrows at first.
However, that would not be the last time Dalglish would face City at Anfield that season.
Goals: Kompany 31'; Lescott (OG) 33'
2-2 (Carling Cup: semi-final second leg) - Jan 25, 2012
Craig Bellamy, who rejoined Liverpool after a stint at Manchester City, enjoyed celebrating the winner against his former club to take the Reds to the League Cup final
Craig Bellamy, who rejoined Liverpool after a stint at Manchester City, enjoyed celebrating the winner against his former club to take the Reds to the League Cup final(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Henderson, Adam, Gerrard, Downing; Kuyt (Carroll 90'), Bellamy (Kelly 88')
Man City (4-3-3): Hart; Richards, Savic (Aguero 46'), Lescott, Kolarov; Zabaleta, Barry, de Jong (Johnson 78'); Nasri, D. Silva, Dzeko
Dalglish may have overseen a disappointing league campaign, but he did add to the trophy cabinet in his second spell - winning an eighth League Cup (then the Carling Cup) against Cardiff City in the city of Cardiff, securing Europa League football.
Before that, though, Man City stood in their way in the semi-final. A Gerrard penalty had clinched a narrow 1-0 win at the Etihad - by now renamed courtesy of a sponsorship deal with the UAE state-owned airline - two weeks prior before City stepped out under the lights at Anfield to attempt to overturn it.
The Reds were without Suarez for both legs, who had been suspended for racially abusing Man United defender Patrice Evra, and the second leg saw Dalglish pick an unorthodox strike combination of Bellamy and Kuyt.
It got the job done, though, Bellamy scoring the goal to knock out his former club. After burying the ball beyond Hart, the Welshman ran to the corner to celebrate with the Kop.
Bellamy's decisive strike came after Edin Dzeko had tied the scores in the 67th minute, a Gerrard penalty in the first half having previously restored Liverpool's lead after a rare strike from Nigel de Jong.
The final in Cardiff was decided on penalties. Cardiff equalised in the 118th minute to deny Dirk Kuyt a trophy-winning moment minutes after the Dutchman had given Liverpool the lead in the second half of added time.
It would be the Liverpool captain's cousin, Anthony Gerrard, who missed the decisive penalty to hand Dalglish another trophy to add to his collection. Kuyt would leave for Fenerbahce in the summer, with semi-final goalscorer Bellamy also leaving to join the losing finalists.
Liverpool also went on to reach the FA Cup final, where they lost to Chelsea despite a thrilling semi-final win over Everton. For better or worse, it was Dalglish's last season as manager of Liverpool, with Rodgers appointed as his successor in the summer of 2012.
Goals: Gerrard (P) 41', Bellamy 74'; de Jong 31', Dzeko 67'
2-2 (Premier League: 2) - Aug 26, 2012
Another 2-2 draw in Brendan Rodgers' second game in charge showed positive signs for Liverpool - though this Jonjo Shelvey challenge could have ended worse for David Silva
Another 2-2 draw in Brendan Rodgers' second game in charge showed positive signs for Liverpool - though this Jonjo Shelvey challenge could have ended worse for David Silva(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Kelly (Enrique 66'), Skrtel, Coates, Johnson; Lucas (Shelvey 4'), Allen; Borini (Carroll 83'), Gerrard, Sterling; Suarez
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, K. Toure, Kompany, Kolarov; de Jong, Y. Toure; Milner (D. Silva 76'), Tevez, Nasri (Rodwell 60'); Balotelli (Dzeko 62')
The 2012/13 season was the first time ownership payments disguised by City as sponsor payments hit eight figures, with an astonishing £105.75m of the £121.75m the club recorded as sponsorship income having in fact come from the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG).
Despite that, City followed received wisdom and invested in their squad more conservatively having just won the league, while Liverpool only brought in Fabio Borini, Joe Allen and Oussama Assaidi - plus Nuri Sahin on an ill-fated loan - while first-team figures Fabio Aurelio and Maxi Rodriguez joined Bellamy, Kuyt, Aquilani and Adam in leaving the club.
A galling 3-0 defeat in Rodgers' first game in charge at West Brom was hardly the best preparation for this tie, but City had creaked defensively in their 3-2 win over Southampton on opening day - and this proved to be the beginning of a shift in momentum for Liverpool.
The game started in less-than-ideal circumstances, Lucas Leiva suffering another injury
Liverpool took the lead through a header of sheer brutality from Skrtel - who loved a goal against City - but a mistake from Martin Kelly gifted the equaliser to Yaya Toure on the hour mark.
Suarez then stepped up to take a beautiful free kick into Hart's bottom-left corner, before Skrtel went from hero to villain with a shocking backpass that put Tevez through on goal to salvage a draw for City.
Most pundits felt Liverpool had been the better team, though serious improvement would not be seen until January when the transformative signings of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho would give the Reds their most competitive side in three years.
It would however only be enough for Liverpool to finish seventh, missing out on European football again, while Mancini was sacked by City at the end of the season after finishing bottom of their group in the Champions League and losing the FA Cup final to Wigan.
United would reclaim their crown in Fergie's final season, while their so-called noisy neighbours would finish second. The reverse fixture produced - you guessed it - another 2-2 draw, with terrific goals from Gerrard and Sturridge to rival an Aguero goal from an unbelievable angle.
This would be the final season for Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who drew the curtains on a record 737-game career in red with a send-off to remember at home to QPR on the final day.
Goals: Skrtel 34', Suarez 66'; Y. Toure 63', Tevez 80'
3-2 (Premier League: 34) - Apr 13, 2014
Philippe Coutinho's emotional winner in 2014 put Liverpool in the driving seat for the Premier League title with four games remaining - but it was not to be
Philippe Coutinho's emotional winner in 2014 put Liverpool in the driving seat for the Premier League title with four games remaining - but it was not to be(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-4-2 diamond): Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Sakho, Flanagan; Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho (Moses 89'), Sterling (Lucas 90+5'); Sturridge (Allen 66'), Suarez
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Fernandinho, Y. Toure (J. Garcia 18'); Navas (Milner 50'), D. Silva, Nasri; Dzeko (Aguero 68')
This game represents peak nostalgia for fans of a similar age to this writer, being the moment Rodgers' unlikely title challengers of 2013/14 looked to all the world like they were about to go on and break a drought that had lasted 24 years.
Liverpool's £44m outlay was actually less than the previous summer, but with a better hit rate - Simon Mignolet, Mamadou Sakho and Kolo Toure playing important roles for both Rodgers and Klopp - even if Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas and Tiago Ilori were signings that didn't work out.
City replaced Mancini with Manuel Pellegrini and spent another £90m on Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, Stefan Jovetic and Martin Demichelis - Fernandinho in particular proving to be a stellar signing, central to the success the Citizens would enjoy over the coming years.
This (or arguably the earlier reverse fixture, controversially won by City after Sterling saw a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside at 0-0) was the first top-level clash between the two sides in the modern era, City top and on a nine-game unbeaten run in the league, and Liverpool having hunted the leaders down with nine straight wins.
At kick-off, the sides were level on points with City ahead on goal difference, with only four games remaining after this one. This, by all accounts, appeared to be the title decider - and Anfield matched the occasion with boos and jeers for every City touch.
The roles would be reversed after a thrilling back-and-forth game, best remembered for Coutinho's match-winning strike in the 78th minute, but a composed finish from future City man Raheem Sterling had given Liverpool a dream start - and yet another fantastic header from Skrtel doubled Liverpool's lead 20 minutes later.
City responded through David Silva after the break at the end of a slick move, though, before the silky Spaniard forced a Glen Johnson own goal to set up a nail-biting last half hour in which Liverpool came under waves of relentless City pressure.
Then - a moment that made Anfield explode. Clichy's awkward header from a Johnson throw-in dropped to Kompany, who just had to clear the ball on the volley to release the momentary pressure.
The City captain, though, sliced through the ball - which swerved into the path of the onrushing Coutinho, who buried it into the bottom corner to spark scenes of jubilation and the infamous 'we go again' team huddle after the final whistle.
Sadly, it was not to be for Liverpool, who would lose their advantage with a 2-0 defeat at home to Chelsea two weeks later, before the crushing 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace would effectively destroy any hopes of a dramatic finish.
City won their second title in three years, to add to the League Cup picked up earlier in the season.
Goals: Sterling 6', Skrtel 26', Coutinho 78'; D. Silva 57', Johnson (OG) 62'
2-1 (Premier League: 27) - Mar 1, 2015
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson scored the finest goal of his career to give the Reds the lead in this Premier League clash against City
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson scored the finest goal of his career to give the Reds the lead in this Premier League clash against City(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Liverpool (3-4-2-1): Mignolet; Can, Lovren, Skrtel; Markovic (Sturridge 76'), Henderson, Allen, Moreno (K. Toure 83'); Lallana, Coutinho; Sterling
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernandinho (Bony 78'), Y. Toure; Nasri (Lampard 83'), Dzeko (Milner 58'), D. Silva; Aguero
The heartbreak of 2013/14 was the beginning of the end for Rodgers and his team - how much of Liverpool's recent history might have been wildly different had Gerrard and co ended the wait six years before Klopp's men did?
After Suarez's departure to Barcelona in the summer, Liverpool had money to burn - and burn it they did. A ham-fisted replacement strategy ultimately saw one of the greatest strikers of the modern era replaced with Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli.
In truth, there was an acceptance it would be impossible to replace Suarez, and Sturridge was the player identified as the Reds' next main man. However, Sturridge couldn't stay fit - a pattern that would unfortunately hamper the remainder of his career - and his fellow strikers offered minimal returns.
Despite decent returns over the coming years from Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Dejan Lovren and of course the crucial goals of Divock Origi - who immediately returned to Lille on loan - it was a disappointing summer for Liverpool.
City didn't have their best window either, blowing £42m on the hapless Eliaquim Mangala and the inconsistent Fernando and Wilfried Bony, though back-up keeper Willy Caballero proved a useful signing.
After Liverpool were flattered to only lose 3-1 in the reverse fixture, the Anfield tie rolled around with City five points behind eventual champions Chelsea at the top and Liverpool two points outside of the top four in sixth - having gone unbeaten in 10 after Rodgers switched to an unpopular three-at-the-back system in an attempt to salvage a season that was slipping away.
Regardless of the depressing context of the season at large, though, Anfield had a bone to pick with the visitors who had denied the Reds' ecstasy with the crushing end to the title charge the previous season.
It was captain on the day, Henderson, whose red card in the same fixture last year was arguably the most influential moment in the unravelling that followed, who got the Reds off the mark with possibly the best goal he ever scored for the club - a bending effort into Hart's top corner.
Coutinho went one better in the second half, providing the winning touch with a long-range curler that would become his trademark after Dzeko had equalised in the first 45.
It would be the last clash with City for Rodgers, while Gerrard - by now having already announced his impending exit - didn't make the squad having picked up a hamstring injury.
Sadly, the legendary captain's farewell was marred by a devastating 6-1 defeat to Stoke City on the final day, as Liverpool won just one of their last six league games and bombed out of the FA Cup with a lifeless semi-final exit at the hands of Aston Villa.
City also went trophyless, though the gap between the sides who had gone head-to-head for the title the previous year had never felt bigger.
Goals: Henderson 11', Coutinho 75'; Dzeko 26'
3-0 (Premier League: 28) - Mar 2, 2016
Vice-captain James Milner showed no remorse against his former club, capping off a complete midfield performance with an emphatic goal
Vice-captain James Milner showed no remorse against his former club, capping off a complete midfield performance with an emphatic goal
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(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mignolet; Flanagan, Lovren, K. Toure, Clyne; Henderson, Can; Milner (Ibe 88'), Firmino (Allen 75'), Lallana; Origi (Benteke 69')
Man City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Kompany, Clichy (Kolarov 74'); Fernandinho (Iheanacho 55'), Fernando; Navas, D. Silva, Sterling (Bony 46'); Aguero
How must James Milner be feeling? The ever-reliable midfielder joined Liverpool on a free transfer from City in the summer of 2015 - only revealing years later that he had felt betrayed by the Manchester club after being offered a new contract on a reduced salary.
It has now emerged that City's owners invested £120.17m of the £136.17m recorded as sponsorship income that season, and they might have been regretting their treatment of Milner as early as this game after the England international put on a masterclass against his old club.
His lasso celebration after scoring feels almost prophetic looking back at the game now. Despite finishing eighth in Klopp's first season after taking over from Rodgers in October, Liverpool would go on to hunt City down over the years that followed, building a team that would go on to dump Milner's old club out of the Champions League and eventually beat them to the Premier League.
Milner was not the only core figure of the Klopp era to arrive in the summer of 2015, Roberto Firmino (another goalscorer on the day) also arriving as Rodgers' war with Liverpool's transfer committee went public.
It's safe to say Rodgers' new pick for the No. 9 didn't make quite the same impact as Firmino, though Christian Benteke did make an appearance off the bench in this game.
Steady figures Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Clyne also arrived, and Danny Ings started life at Liverpool brightly before fading after a serious injury.
This was the summer when City brought in possibly their greatest player of all time in Kevin De Bruyne, as well as signing Sterling - who received a robust welcome back to his old home ground on the end of a thunderous challenge from Jon Flanagan before being hooked at half time.
Days before this clash, City beat Liverpool in the League Cup final - and Anfield was in the mood for revenge as Adam Lallana opened the scoring from range in the 3-0 victory, Klopp's astonished expression painting a thousand words.
All the signs of Klopp's gegenpressing were on full display by this point - Liverpool already having dished out a 4-1 humbling to City at the Etihad - and though they lost the Europa League final to Sevilla, optimism was finally returning.
Goals: Lallana 34', Milner 41', Firmino 57'
1-0 (Premier League: 19) - Dec 31, 2016
Georginio Wijnaldum scored his second Premier League goal of the season to sink City in this game, and Gini's head would come in handy again when rescuing a point against Chelsea a month later
Georginio Wijnaldum scored his second Premier League goal of the season to sink City in this game, and Gini's head would come in handy again when rescuing a point against Chelsea a month later(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner; Henderson (Origi 64'), Can, Wijnaldum; Mane (Lucas 89'), Lallana, Firmino
Man City (4-2-3-1): Bravo; Zabaleta (Navas 86'), Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov; Y. Toure (Iheanacho 89'), Fernandinho; Sterling, D. Silva, De Bruyne; Aguero
The infamous negative net spend in Klopp's first summer transfer window did not please Liverpool fans - but in hindsight, it was the best transfer window the Reds had had in years.
Peripheral figures like Allen, Ibe, Benteke and (by now) Skrtel left, with sporting director Michael Edwards bringing in more than £75m in sales, while future legends Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum arrived along with Joel Matip in one of the best free transfers the club has ever pulled off.
Nevertheless, City were able to operate on another level entirely. In came the chosen one in Pep Guardiola, along with £170m worth of talent including the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, John Stones and Gabriel Jesus.
All the same, Klopp's tremendous record against Guardiola from their time together in Germany continued in their first Premier League meeting, Liverpool emerging victorious through an early Wijnaldum header.
It wasn't the most memorable match between the two iconic managers, but it put a marker down early that Liverpool under the German would always compete with their big-spending rivals.
What isn't always remembered is that after this match, Liverpool were in fact in second place on 43 points with exactly half of the season played, six points behind Chelsea in first and four points ahead of vanquished City, who slumped to fifth.
The reverse fixture ended 1-1, a Milner penalty cancelled out by Sergio Aguero. Despite failing to maintain their impressive early-season form, Wijnaldum opened the scoring again as Klopp's side secured a return to Champions League football on the final day of a promising first full campaign.
Goals: Wijnaldum 8'
4-3 (Premier League 23) - Jan 14, 2018
Sadio Mane's lethal finish sparked jubilant celebrations when he put Liverpool 3-1 up against as-yet unbeaten Manchester City
Sadio Mane's lethal finish sparked jubilant celebrations when he put Liverpool 3-1 up against as-yet unbeaten Manchester City(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-3-3): Karius; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Robertson; Can (Milner 79'), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wijnaldum; Salah (Lallana 88'), Mane (Klavan 90+4'), Firmino
Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph (Danilo 31'); Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Sterling (B. Silva 71'), Sane, Aguero
Another blockbuster transfer window from souped-up City saw Guardiola's side break the £200m barrier for the first time, and it proved effective as Bernardo Silva, Ederson, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte and co spurred the Citizens on to the title and a first-ever 100-point Premier League season.
Liverpool acted with conviction, too, though, serving up another masterstroke with the signings of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Virgil van Dijk would follow in January after the 'tapping up' controversy with Southampton scuppered a summer move.
An ankle injury ruled the Dutch master out of this game, which understandably led to fears of how Liverpool might cope after losing the reverse fixture 5-0 at the Etihad when Sadio Mane saw red in the first half - especially with this being the first Premier League game after Coutinho's big money exit to Barcelona.
Instead, Liverpool became the team to end City's record-breaking run, Oxlade-Chamberlain firing the Reds into an early lead before a goal from each of the Red Arrows of Firmino, Mane and Salah would put the game out of sight by the 67th minute - though City very nearly clawed it back to a 4-4 draw in stoppage time.
All four of the goals were memorable - from Firmino's Fowleresque effort, muscling Stones off the ball; to Salah's opportunistic 40-yard strike - and in beating the invincible City, Liverpool had proved they could go toe-to-toe with anyone.
This was monumental at the time, and it has rightly gone down as one of the all-time great Premier League games. Liverpool were back and there to win - and they weren't going anywhere.
Goals: Oxlade-Chamberlain 9', Firmino 59', Mane 61', Salah 67'; Sane 40', B. Silva 84', Gundogan 90+1'
3-0 (Champions League quarter-final first leg) - Apr 4, 2018
Mohamed Salah's opener was a statement of intent from Liverpool before a 20-minute storm humbled Manchester City on the European stage
Mohamed Salah's opener was a statement of intent from Liverpool before a 20-minute storm humbled Manchester City on the European stage(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Liverpool (4-3-3): Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Moreno 85'); Salah (Wijnaldum 52'), Mane, Firmino (Solanke 71')
Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Kompany, Laporte; Fernandinho, D. Silva, Gundogan (Sterling 57'); De Bruyne, Sane, Jesus
Is a summary really necessary? The last two games that took place during the period covered by the Premier League's investigation into City's financial misconduct have gone down in Anfield folklore, and this was the pick of the bunch.
This was just the second time City had reached the quarter finals - the first coming under Pellegrini - and Liverpool put on a display worthy of European royalty in the first half at Anfield.
Salah, basking in the peak of a stunning debut season that has gone down in history, opened the scoring with a predatory finish before setting up Mane for the third - but not before Oxlade-Chamberlain struck for a second time in as many matches against City with a barnstorming effort that nearly ripped the net off.
By this point in the season, Trent Alexander-Arnold had broken into the team, and the Scouser was instrumental in locking down Leroy Sane in an equally-impressive backs-to-the-wall second-half performance.
After a 2-1 follow-up in Manchester, the incredible European run continued with victory over Roma in the semi-final, only for Real Madrid and the arm of Sergio Ramos to vanquish the Reds in the Kyiv final.
Another fourth-placed finish was secured in the league, though fans would not have to wait long for another title challenge - and only a little longer for the 30-year wait to finally come to an end.
One of the most enjoyable seasons in Liverpool history, and a fitting way to round off an era of tussles with the Citizens which has only grown in importance in the light of the damning verdict against them.
Goals: Salah 12', Oxlade-Chamberlain 21', Mane 31'
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