Manchester City demolish Liverpool in Guardiola's milestone 1000th game

Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola's 1000th match as manager with an impressive 3-0 victory against Liverpool, narrowing the gap to Premier League frontrunners Arsenal to just four points.

Erling Haaland overcame an early missed penalty to net his 99th Premier League strike with a powerful header, followed by Nico Gonzalez's deflected shot and a stunning long-range effort from Jeremy Doku, affirming City's role as Arsenal's primary challengers for the crown.

Liverpool have now suffered defeats in four of their past five league fixtures, leaving the former champions languishing in eighth place, eight points adrift of the summit.

Arsenal's streak of 10 straight wins halted with a 2-2 stalemate against Sunderland on Saturday, and Guardiola's side capitalised fully in this clash between the two teams that have ruled the Premier League for the last ten years.

Despite some unfavourable calls for Arne Slot's squad, the result underscored their sharp decline since securing a comfortable 2-0 triumph at the Etihad back in February.

The Reds had hinted at a turnaround with successes over Aston Villa and Real Madrid in the preceding week, yet they struggled against the polished play of a revitalised City outfit, victors in 11 of their previous 14 outings across all tournaments.

Conor Bradley effectively neutralised Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during Tuesday's encounter but faced relentless pressure from Doku's speed and flair along City's flank.

Doku capitalised on Ibrahima Konate's clearance from Bradley, evading Giorgi Mamardashvili only for the keeper's leg to catch him, prompting an initial no-call from referee Chris Kavanagh that VAR overturned into a penalty.

Haaland, with 28 goals already this campaign for club and nation, remains scoreless from penalties for City.

Mamardashvili made amends by diving right to parry the Norwegian's effort, momentarily boosting Liverpool's spirits and their away fans.

City maintained dominance, deflecting Rayan Cherki's attempt wide before Mamardashvili pushed Doku's curling shot following yet another dazzling run into the side netting.

Having netted in all but two of his 18 outings this term, Haaland struck on the 29th minute with a fine header off Matheus Nunes' precise cross.

Liverpool believed they had equalised nine minutes later as Van Dijk's corner header found the net.

Yet Andy Robertson impeded Gianluigi Donnarumma from an offside spot by avoiding his skipper's path, nullifying the goal.

Rather than parity, City exploited Liverpool's frustration from the corner mishap, where Gonzalez's shot ricocheted off Van Dijk to deceive Mamardashvili.

Liverpool squandered a chance to re-enter the contest early in the second half when Cody Gakpo fired over an open goal after a slick sequence with Mohamed Salah and Bradley.

Doku capped what may be his finest display in three years at City with a exquisite finish, swerving past the sluggish Konate to bend the ball into the upper corner from distance.

Salah epitomised Liverpool's frustrating afternoon and campaign by lofting a prime opportunity wide ten minutes before the end.

In need of firepower, Slot kept £125 million ($165 million) forward Alexander Isak sidelined throughout owing to insufficient match sharpness.

Revamping the squad that eased to the title via nearly £450 million in summer signings appears increasingly flawed, as Liverpool scrap for a top-four spot instead of contending for honours.