4 takeaways from Liverpool shattering Manchester City's invincible season

And breathe.

Liverpool almost ceded a three-goal lead in the closing stages, but eventually ended Manchester City's unbeaten Premier League season with a hectic 4-3 victory at Anfield.

Clashes between the "big six" rarely live up to their billing, but Sunday's affair surpassed expectations. Liverpool was good value for its win, forcing errors from the visitor and scoring three goals (and hitting the woodwork once) in nine minutes of second-half dominance.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored and assisted either side of Leroy Sane's equaliser, and further strikes from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah put the Reds out of sight. Or so it seemed.

City fired back with late goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, but was unable to complete an astonishing comeback in the closing moments.

Here are four takeaways from the thrilling tussle on Merseyside.

Who needs Coutinho?

Even without Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool is capable of playing the best attacking football in England.

The pace and variety in the Reds' front line is sensational, but it was the high press that disorientated City's defence. Napoli was supposed to be the best in Europe at this game plan, but City mostly played around that press with ease in the Champions League group stages. Liverpool is much better at it, evidenced in the fact City was dispossessed 24 times - over double its usual rate over 90 minutes.

For that press to succeed, the selfless work of Roberto Firmino is crucial.

Too often, the Brazilian is criticised for his supposedly average goal output, but it's the way he fastens Liverpool's front line together that makes him irreplaceable in Klopp's 4-3-3. The German gaffer doesn't need an out-and-out striker as long as Firmino is holding up the ball, stretching defences, and providing sublime service for Salah and Mane. Nor does Klopp need a replacement for Barcelona new boy Coutinho.

Dominic Solanke is raw but has a high ceiling, Adam Lallana can fill in up top, and Danny Ings was a competent striker before he was ravaged by injury. For now, replacing seemingly Juventus-bound Emre Can and bringing in a goalkeeper should be a priority, and enough to see the Merseyside lot challenge for the title in 2018-19.

City's defensive issues come to the fore

The back-line problems that hampered Guardiola's first season at the helm reared their collective ugly head all at once.

Liverpool's aforementioned press was hard to evade, but the unease of some City players was surprising.

Fernandinho was uncharacteristically sloppy in possession; John Stones looked short of match fitness in his fourth game back from injury; for some reason, Nicolas Otamendi was chosen as the ball-playing defender and misplaced half of his long balls; and Ederson, who has quickly established himself among the top three goalkeepers in the league, played a ball straight to the feet of Salah, and was lobbed.

Perhaps City has a lucky escape if Alexis Sanchez is going to Manchester United instead. The thin departments of Guardiola's squad are at centre-back, defensive midfield, and left-back - an area that is particularly threadbare after Fabian Delph was withdrawn with an injury - and it should be in at least one of these positions that City is looking to strengthen in the January transfer window.

Ox-pulled cart

Oxlade-Chamberlain was on the verge of following the same career path as Theo Walcott: emerge as an exciting teenager at Southampton, then stagnate at Arsenal for the rest of his career. The Ox, like Walcott, hardly improved during his time under Arsene Wenger's wing.

The versatile midfielder has to be commended for looking to polish his talents elsewhere, and seems to have found the perfect manager in Klopp.

A difficult start on Merseyside has soon been shrugged off, and he's now a driving presence in Liverpool's midfield. While the underrated Georginio Wijnaldum expertly recycles possession and Can sits deep, Oxlade-Chamberlain is given license to barge forward and hassle opponents.

The 24-year-old scored Liverpool's first and assisted the second, and on current form should be considered an England starter at the 2018 World Cup.

Goalkeepers guilty of letting in good shots, and not much else

Far too much focus was put upon the goalkeepers for the opening two strikes.

The old adage that shot-stoppers shouldn't be beaten at their near post is false. If anything, Loris Karius' hand position was at fault - his paws were too low - for Sane's leveller, but his positioning was correct given Sergio Aguero was lurking at the back post. Sane smashed the leather spheroid, and most goalkeepers would've conceded.

As for Ederson, it was the most difficult performance of his City career so far, but he cannot be held accountable for Oxlade-Chamberlain's strike. Chances to knock the ball from danger were squandered by Otamendi, Delph, and Fernandinho before the Ox streamed through, and his effort was an accurate, skimming, early hit that merits credit for the midfielder rather than criticism of Ederson.

Sometimes, it's just too easy to criticise goalkeepers.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)