Monday 15 January 2018 08:56, UK
Gary Neville pays tribute to Liverpool's "potent" front three but sees no reason why Pep Guardiola will panic at Manchester City, following their first defeat of the season.
Liverpool brought City's unbeaten domestic run crashing to an end with a scintillating 4-3 victory at Anfield on Nissan Super Sunday.
Sensational goals from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in nine devastating second-half minutes saw Liverpool become the first British side to beat Guardiola's men since Arsenal in the FA Cup last April, ending their 33-game unbeaten domestic run in the process.
Neville - who was co-commentary duty for the game - piled praise on the Reds' dynamic attack but thinks the result will be no more than a blip for the runaway Premier League leaders.
He told the Gary Neville Podcast: "The finishes were wonderful. They're a potent front three. I always think about front lines I wouldn't want to play against, I would not want to play against that front line!
"With Coutinho they are stronger, but they make runs that I don't want forwards making against me. They run with and without the ball, they make runs between full back and centre-back, which makes you question when do leave them, when to play them offside, when to pass them off to your centre-back.
"Jurgen Klopp has to be given credit for that. He's built a team that represents him and the way he wants football to be played. They're a really, really dangerous front three."
Reflecting on the game from City's perspective, Neville said: "There are certain grounds where it can all go wrong. Anfield is one of those - it can eat you up, swallow you up. Old Trafford is as well.
"You can lose at any time in those matches. You have to be perfect to go through a season where you don't experience one of those days like City have faced at Anfield.
"Pep Guardiola will be calm - he said they would lose a game. In that mad period the game went away from them - they were the better team in the first 10 minutes of the first half. They were controlling the game and all of a sudden, they were gone. That can happen at Anfield, once this crowd get up. Andy Robertson was pressing the City left-back at one stage - the emotion can take over.
"Liverpool were on fire and it became a difficult game for City. It's not time to criticise them."
The ending of their 30-match unbeaten Premier League run, stretching back to April, has handed Manchester United the chance to cut City's lead to 12 points against Stoke on Monday Night Football.
However, Neville is struggling to make a case for any of the chasing pack stopping City in their pursuit of the title.
"I'd be very surprised if anything happened at the top of the league in terms of anybody catching them," Neville said.
"But it allows the media to say 'is there a question to be asked' but I think this only a blip.
"It would be wrong to pour in on Manchester City and ask how they'd react to the defeat. They've come to Anfield and scored three goals - they didn't play badly, they just made bad mistakes.
"Credit to City for getting all the way to January without losing - is there a chance for Chelsea, United or Liverpool to catch them? Today showed they are human and can make mistakes and the others have to try and apply a bit of pressure, but it will be difficult."
