Pep Guardiola threw himself back into his seat in the dugout. The Manchester City manager had just witnessed a moment of sheer brilliance and, like everyone connected to his club, he had to fear the worst. Because bad things tend to happen to him at Anfield.

The blow had been administered by Dominik Szoboszlai, the stand‑in Liverpool right-back, and it is worth dwelling on it for a moment – if only a moment as it was overtaken rapidly by a bonkers finale. When the Hungarian addressed a free-kick 30 yards out, City did not look overly concerned: they put two men in their wall. Perhaps they had not remembered what Szoboszlai did to Arsenal from a similar position at the start of the season.