Man City vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League latest score and goal updates as Erling Haaland misses out

“Historically, we have finished strongly,” he said. “But we have had to.

“Last year, we nearly won four trophies; but then this year, the trophies have gone early. That’s a proper thing to bring us down to the ground again and to understand that what we have done in the past was never easy.

“If you do only a little bit less, for whatever reason, it’s gone.”

The Reds have not played since a tame exit from the Champions League at Real Madrid two and a half weeks ago and he says his focus is firmly on finishing in the top four of the Premier League.

“Now it’s clear - top four is the only thing we can really go for,” he said. “We don’t have a perfect position to fight for it and we have to win a lot of games.

“The more we win, the more pressure we put on those above us.”

The last Liverpool player to score in four games against a team in one campaign was Ian Rush, who netted in five meetings with Everton in 1986/87.

Jurgen Klopp has won 11 of 27 matches as a manager against Pep Guardiola, with the Spaniard claiming nine victories and seven games ending in draws (including those decided by penalty shoot-outs).

Victory would ensure Liverpool become the fourth club to record 250 Premier League away wins, after Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won 25 of their previous 27 home matches in league and cup with one draw and one defeat.

A sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions would equal their club record, a sequence they last recorded in November and December 2020.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola talking to BT Sport: “There are a lot of games of football left and a lot of things can happen. We don’t feel as though Arsenal will drop many points but hopefully we can be there as long as possible.

“I would love to be in Arsenal’s position but until the last moment we will fight. We have done it for many, many years. It is step by step, game by game and we will see what happens.

“To be in contention for all the competitions, this is amazing. When you win you have the tendency to drop a bit but we are still there and this makes me happy.”

The last time Liverpool scored a goal, it was historic. It was also almost four weeks ago: not exactly history, but not particularly recent either. It was when Roberto Firmino made it Liverpool 7 Manchester United 0; it became the biggest victory in their meetings, replacing a 7-1 in the 19th century. It was by far and away Liverpool’s most memorable scoreline in March, but perhaps not their most significant.

If a trip to Bournemouth was sandwiched by the glamour games against United and Real Madrid, a 1-0 defeat told a story of a season in itself. A team who have often shown a capacity to beat the best under Jurgen Klopp can now lose to the worst: like Leeds and Nottingham Forest before them, Bournemouth kicked off in the relegation zone against Liverpool and won. If the evisceration of United had propelled Liverpool back into the position of the favourites to clinch fourth place, the setback on the south coast reframed the debate. They will have to do it the hard way. The last few years indicate Liverpool have the ability to go on extended winning runs. Now, consistently inconsistent, they veer between taking two steps forward and then one back or one step forward and two back.

Now there is the sense that a season with a false start and a troubled middle could come to a premature end. A triple header against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal could finish off their stuttering attempts to return to the Champions League, especially if Brighton, Newcastle and Tottenham pick up enough points in the meantime. It seems a case of three games to save their campaign, nine days to ensure it isn’t a wasted nine months.

Jurgen Klopp’s side face Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of a season-defining nine days as the Reds attempt to salvage their top-four bid

Liverpool are in danger of losing three consecutive fixtures in all competitions without scoring for the first time since 2009.

They have scored 13 goals in as many away league games this season but have failed to net in four of their last five top-flight matches on the road.

Erling Haaland has scored 42 competitive goals in 37 games for City - the only players to have netted more in a season for a Premier League club are Ruud van Nistelrooy (2002/03) and Mohamed Salah (2017/18), who netted 44 for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

All three (28 goals, 42% and 20 points) are the highest by a Manchester City player in a single Premier League campaign.