This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
On Thursday, July 2, 2020, Manchester City welcomed Liverpool to the Etihad Stadium, where the Reds were given a guard of honour by the hosts before being thrashed 4-0.
Despite the title being secured a week prior, Liverpool showed a far cry from their usual intensity, and the loss served as a reminder that Manchester City will be eager to regain their crown next season.
Juergen Klopp's side was quick to defend their attitude, rejecting any suggestion that they had taken the game lightly.
"I saw a brilliant attitude. I saw fight. We didn’t behave like somebody who became champions a week ago. We lacked fluidity. And in some 50-50 situations they were quicker than us," Klopp said.
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a penalty after Joe Gomez pulled Raheem Sterling to the ground. Sterling doubled the lead 10 minutes later, and the 20-year-old Phil Foden made it 3-0 with a shot past Alisson.
City's fourth goal came courtesy of a Riyad Mahrez solo effort, but VAR spotted a handball by Foden in the build-up, disallowing the goal.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised his team's performance, saying, "We beat the champions, an extraordinary team. We tried to play football, take risks against the best team I have ever faced in my life at high pressing."
The loss was the joint-heaviest defeat by a side already crowned Premier League champions, with Arsenal suffering a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool in 1997-98.
