Guardiola smiles through taunts as Man City forget how to win

LIVERPOOL, England : Taunted by the Kop with chants of "getting sacked in the morning", Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola afforded himself a wry smile and held up six fingers to remind the ecstatic Liverpool fans of how many Premier League titles he has won.

It was an unforgettable moment on a Sunday evening on Merseyside which could spell the end of Manchester City's domination of the English top flight.

Liverpool cruised to a 2-0 victory with goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah against a struggling City to move 11 points clear of the champions from the past four seasons and nine ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

City looked bereft of energy and ideas as they were comprehensively outplayed by Arne Slot's side, managing only two shots on target. It was their fourth successive Premier League defeat and sixth in seven in all competitions and they are now sitting fifth in the table.

Guardiola, the Spaniard who has ripped up the record books since arriving at City, is now reaching unwanted milestones.

He has never lost four league games in a row during a glittering coaching career and whereas he has always found solutions to every problem, his magic touch has temporarily deserted him.

There is zero chance City's owners would dispense with one of the greatest coaches in history, especially as he recently agreed a two-year extension to his contract.

But he does find himself in uncharted territory.

"I didn't expect them to chant that, maybe I deserve to be sacked," he told reporters. "I didn't expect that, but it's fine. When you win, you laugh. When you lose, they laugh, and you have to accept it.

"But I'm practical. I'm not depressed. When I think I cannot do it, we'll talk with the club, but I feel that I want to do it. Life