Man City must do what they do best under Pep Guardiola after Liverpool FC blow

In an ideal world Manchester City would have liked to have beaten Liverpool on Sunday. Of course they would.

Although Liverpool have endured a difficult start to the season, they are still arguably - unless Arsenal keep up their current form - the side best equipped to stop City winning the Premier League for a third successive season.

A win at Anfield would have put City 16 points clear of Jurgen Klopp's side, but in reality the gap is now 10. Should Liverpool win their game in hand then it will be cut to seven. Last season Liverpool showed they are capable of clawing their way back from a seemingly impossible position, and with Mohamed Salah returning to form they are more than capable of doing so again.

READ MORE: Why Man City will have Arsenal regret after Liverpool FC defeat

A 16-point buffer would have provided comfort, but it did not happen. Pep Guardiola and his players no-doubt returned to Manchester extremely frustrated, but now they must do what they have repeatedly done over the last five years. When things go wrong they identify the issues, address them, move on from the disappointment and go again. With three tough fixtures coming up over the next 10 days, they need to.

Following Sunday's results City are now four points behind league leaders Arsenal, so the Blues must beat Brighton on Saturday to avoid giving them too much to do after the World Cup. The Seagulls - a side City do tend to overcome whenever they meet - are under new management following the departure of Graham Potter.

In Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton have a coach Guardiola arguably admires even more than Potter. The Italian coach made an instant impact when his side tore Liverpool limb-from-limb at Anfield a few weeks ago, although in the end