Liverpool FC games highlight Man City mentality change this year

Pep Guardiola was irritable after Manchester City's defeat at Anfield this season.

The best in the business do not generally react well to losing, which is why they are the best in the business, but then again usually if his team have played well the Catalan is happy. Back in October, he was anything but.

The main source of ire was a disallowed goal at 0-0 for Phil Foden, saying repeatedly in numerous post-match interviews 'This is Anfield' as if City couldn't expect any decisions there. He also bristled at the idea that his team didn't create the chances to win the game, despite being comprehensively second-best in terms of expected goals as well as actual goals.

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Coming after the 4-1 demolition in February 2021 and the thrilling 2-2 draw last season that saw far more obvious refereeing errors go against them, this time it did not feel like City were hard done to lose a narrow game 1-0. Because of that, leaning on the idea that they had in the immediate aftermath did not sit right with what everyone else had just seen.

Far more went against the Blues in the build-up to last week's game. If you could make a list of players you wouldn't want to return from international duty injured, the in-form Foden and Erling Haaland would have been right at the top.

Not only did City have to cope with that in their preparations but they also had to drag themselves back into position after seeing another good start undone by a simple Mohamed Salah goal; at 0-1 on Saturday, City had every reason to think it was going to be another one of those frustrating days against Liverpool.

That it wasn't shows so much about the better place that Guardiola's side