Liverpool and Manchester City drove each other to new heights – their Premier League rivalry does not need rewriting

It had seemed a triumphant farewell for Pep Guardiola at the place which became his personal house of horrors . His final trip to Anfield brought a first win in front of the crowd that tended to taunt him. One of the abiding images of his decade-long stay at Manchester City came away at Liverpool, Guardiola waving two fingers in the air, shouting “twice” about the penalty appeals his side saw rejected in 2019. Seven years on, some would say there have been greater injustices in the Premier League . City have a more significant appeal than merely questioning a refereeing decision or two. The story of Guardiola’s epic duel with Jurgen Klopp may require some rewriting. Anfield, forever a hostile place for City to visit, will be still more so after the independent commission found them guilty of 114 of the charges the Premier League levelled. Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola were respected rivals at Liverpool and Manchester City (Getty) Though Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham may disagree, there is a strong case that Liverpool suffered the most from City breaching financial rules to the tune, the commission ruled, of over £900m. Klopp was alone among the Premier League’s five definitive managers in only winning it once; that might have been different but for City’s wealth. Two years ago, when he left, the German, reflecting on the possibility points tallies of 97, 99 and 92 in seasons could have brought him three titles, said: “If you organise a bus parade, I’m in. How long it takes, I don’t care.” Now employed by Germany, he has been more circumspect in his comments since the verdict came in. In part, it highlights the mutual respect he shares with Guardiola; even when losing to others, the Catalan always said Klopp was his greatest rival. Liverpool and Manchester City's rivalry defined a Premier League era (Getty) A common denominator, though, is that when each left, exhausted, he seemed content with what he had achieved. Perhaps Guardiola will be stripped of some of his honours now. Klopp knew he could have won more; indeed, around half of his team did secure a second Premier League, but under Arne Slot. There was a sense, however, that each propelled the other to greater heights. Unless City’s appeal succeeds, the official judgment will be that they were elevated by an illicit injection of funds, and not merely by competition from a charismatic German gegenpresser. Liverpool always knew City had a financial advantage. Now the verdict from the independent commission is that it was an unfair advantage. Liverpool always cite their self-sustaining ethos and, when Klopp said there were three clubs in the world who could spend what they wanted, the widespread interpretation was that he meant Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and City. And yet the competition from City may have helped in some ways. Liverpool defined themselves against them. Klopp liked being an underdog. He often said he did not want to have the best team in the world as much as to be able to beat the best. He did. Among managers Guardiola has faced at least six times, only one has won more than they have lost against him: Klopp. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool were the only team to consistently best Manchester City under Pep Guardiola (Getty) It is why, amid the knee-jerk reactions to proclaim an entire era meaningless, the overreaction is wrong. It was not meaningless when Klopp’s Liverpool beat Guardiola’s City; so, logically, it could not be if the Catalan’s team won. It may be worth noting that the charges only covered the years from 2009 to 2018, and just the first two seasons of Guardiola’s reign, though their feats in the last eight seasons necessitated the platform built in the previous decade. Yet it is pertinent to recall two seminal Anfield occasions in the space of three months, two ferocious assaults by Klopp’s team. In January 2018, a blitz of three goals in nine minutes set up a 4-3 win and ended City’s chances of becoming Invincibles . In April 2018, Liverpool scored three times in 19 minutes in the Champions League. It was they, not City, who would reach the final, a breakthrough that led to Klopp’s team becoming European champions the following season and Premier League winners the year after that. They won against City and despite City. Liverpool achieved Champions League glory before Manchester City (Getty) One of the more instructive interventions in the recent debate came from Andy Robertson , who said the City players should not be stripped of their medals because of their owners’ misdemeanours. The left-back had personal evidence of how hard-fought their battles were, of how much the City players had to do to edge out Liverpool: the de facto title decider in 2019 featured a clearance from John Stones when the ball was 11mm from crossing the line. One of Robertson’s closest friends in the game was James Milner ; twice a title-winner with City, denied more silverware with Liverpool by his old club. Klopp remained on good terms with Ilkay Gundogan, his former Borussia Dortmund midfielder and Guardiola’s Treble-winning captain. Virgil van Dijk and Kevin De Bruyne were pictured on holiday together. Liverpool against City tended to be more bitter in the boardroom than on the pitch. Liverpool’s owners could be calculating the amounts lost in the City era. So could a previous side who, if league tables were redrawn, might call themselves champions: Brendan Rodgers’ side of 2013-14. Yet the past comes with complications: Liverpool propelled themselves into the position of favourites by beating City at Anfield. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were the ultimate beneficiaries of Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip against Chelsea. Liverpool dropped five points in their last three games of the season, City none in theirs. Manchester City’s era of success cost Liverpool significantly (Getty) Now there is the chance City could go nine points ahead of Liverpool; but there is also the chance it will be their last Anfield meeting for years, depending on potential punishments. If so, it will be a dramatic end to a contest that often seemed to show the best of the Premier League; but, some would say, the worst, too.