Mohamed Salah still has the magic, Liverpool still have the minerals and the Premier League’s hottest rivalry is alive and kicking. What an afternoon this was at Anfield. Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the campaign is over, after Jurgen Klopp’s much-criticised Reds delivered a performance to ignite their season and send their supporters into raptures.
Salah was the matchwinner, scoring superbly at the Kop End, 14 minutes from time, to settle a frenetic, absorbing and often bad-tempered contest, which saw Klopp shown a red card and Pep Guardiola livid after a Phil Foden goal was ruled out by the VAR at 0-0. The Manchester City boss also said he was targeted with coins thrown from the home fans, while Liverpool issued a statement afterwards condemning the 'vile chants' emanating from the away end on a fraught, needly afternoon.
But when the dust settles, Liverpool will reflect on a display that had all the hallmarks of their best ones under Klopp. They were intense, they were aggressive, they defended superbly and they took the big chance when it came. To a man, they were terrific.
They may not be able to live with City over the course of a full season - they remain 10 points behind in the Premier League table - but they can still cause anyone problems when they play like this. Guardiola knew that beforehand, and what followed served only to prove him correct.
Reports of the Reds death, it seems, have been greatly exaggerated.