Man City get Liverpool FC reminder as Pep Guardiola saves date

As Manchester City were working up a sweat in the Abu Dhabi sun, Liverpool were riding a storm on the south coast.

High winds and a rejuvenated Bournemouth team under the coaching of Andoni Iraola threatened to make it a difficult evening for the Premier League leaders but ultimately it was an emphatic 4-0 win that took the 2020 champions five points clear at the top. For all the buzz around Kevin De Bruyne's return and that dramatic win at Newcastle, first Arsenal and now Liverpool have both responded with big victories of their own.

Either or both could last the distance in this season's title race but at the moment it is Liverpool that are taking up more of Pep Guardiola's attention. City's manager has commented a few times recently that Jurgen Klopp's men are flying, and ending a tricky trip with three points despite the absence of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold will only have reinforced that for the Blues boss.

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Another aspect tipping the scales in the favour of Liverpool is Anfield and City's rotten record there. In eight trips there with City, the only time Guardiola has won was during Covid when there was no crowd present; when they meet in March, a stadium expansion means there will be more fans than ever to make a difference.

Before City departed for their warm-weather break, Guardiola was already thinking about the need to be close to Liverpool in the table when they kick off at Anfield given the past has shown they tend to lose ground to their rivals there. In contrast, when they welcome Arsenal to the Etihad they will do so with the confidence that Guardiola has never lost to