Manchester City blew the title race wide open by inflicting Liverpool's first defeat of the season with an engrossing 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday
Sergio Aguero proved the scourge of Liverpool again with a clinical near-post drive - his seventh goal in seven home appearances against the Reds - at the end of a frenetic first half, which saw Sadio Mane strike the post and John Stones hook his own deflected clearance off the line with millimetres to spare
Roberto Firmino headed Liverpool level on 64 minutes but parity lasted just eight minutes as Leroy Sane cannoned the winning goal in off the post at the end of a trademark City counter
City were simply not willing to relinquish their title without a fight, their victory reduces Liverpool's lead at the top of the table to four points and leaves the Premier League title race delicately poised
The highly-anticipated clash between the champions and the challengers did not disappoint
 City flew out of the traps early on, setting the tone for a pulsating half, but the better chances fell for Liverpool
Firmino slipped Mane through on goal after 18 minutes and his low strike cannoned off the post
 Stones then fired his clearance into Ederson, sending the ball looping back towards goal, where the England international miraculously recovered by hooking the ball off the goal-line
Having weathered the early City storm, Liverpool pounced on the chance to go forward again as Virgil van Dijk's diagonal ball was brilliantly hooked back to the edge of the area by Andrew Robertson, and Mane lashed a volley straight at Ederson
Vincent Kompany saw yellow and not red for a lunge on Mohamed Salah on the half hour, before appeals for a City penalty were waved away on 40 minutes after Aguero clashed with Van Dijk
 But City sought their own retribution seconds later as the Argentine skipped away from Dejan Lovren and lashed a stunning drive past Alisson at his near post from a tight angle
Liverpool hit back just after the hour as full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson combined on opposing flanks and the left-back's brilliant cross was nodded home by the unmarked Firmino at the back post
The buoyant Reds threatened to add a quick-fire second but City responded in typical fashion as Raheem Sterling streaked clear, switched the play to Sane on the left and the Germany international fired the champions' second in off the woodwork
City could have had a third when Aguero tried and failed to round Alisson on 83 minutes, and Bernardo Silva pounced on a poor Lovren clearance late on
 The Liverpool goalkeeper prevailed on both occasions but it was City left rejoicing at the end of a thrilling victory
 "The game was a real game for both sides, we beat an incredible team
 We were outstanding from the first minute
 Liverpool don't concede goals and we scored two
 We are happy for this victory to reduce the gap
 Everything is open
 If we lose today it is almost done, it would be so difficult
 But we are four points behind them and they are the leaders
 We have to fight a lot, but this gives us a lot of confidence
""It was a big pressure
 Very intense game
 We were unlucky in our finishing moments
 Unluckier than City I would say
 Sane scores and the situation with Sadio when he hit the post
 They had periods where they dominated the game and everybody felt the intensity
 But we came back and had big chances
 It is always like this
 You have to score in those moments
"There were star performers all over the pitch for Manchester City, notably Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero and Aymeric Laporte, but the champions' midfield enforcer underlined his continued importance to Pep Guardiola's side
James Milner and Jordan Henderson were drafted into the Liverpool midfield ahead of kick-off, perhaps in a bid to cope with the shift Fernandinho was about to deliver
 But cope they could not
 City's title defence momentarily derailed in the Brazilian's absence, but having got it back on track, he could play as big a role as any in the destination of the title
Man City host Rotherham (Sunday, 4pm) and Burton (Wednesday, 7
45pm) in the FA Cup third-round and Carabao Cup semi-finals, respectively, before Wolves travel to the Etihad on  on January 14, live onLiverpool travel to Wolves in the FA Cup (Monday, 7
45pm) before resuming their Premier League campaign away at Brighton at 3pm on January 12
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