An incredible first half from Liverpool shocked Manchester City and was enough to see them through as they raced into a comprehensive early lead.
Jurgen Klopp's gegenpressing style that had been much touted before his arrival was on display in no uncertain terms at the Etihad stadium as Liverpool hustled and harried their opposite numbers, forcing a number of errors and cutting them open with ease as the game drifted away from Manuel Pellegrini's side in the first half.
The first goal came courtesy of Eliaquim Mangala, who unfortunately ended up hitting the ball into his own net, but the warning signs had been there from early on for Manchester City.
Liverpool have been getting joy down the wings and a low, driven cross from Firmino caught the Manchester City defender in the wrong place as he turned the ball in.
The second goal came shortly afterwards, as Coutinho slotted home a fine finish between Joe Hart's legs after the ball was played to him from Firmino again.
Image: Jon Super / AP/Press Association Images
The Liverpool onslaught didn't stop there, however, as they continued to look to increase their lead and kill off the match within the opening 45 minutes.
Their persistence and positive outlook was rewarded when a beautiful backheel on the edge of the box from Emre Can played in Coutinho, and he found Firmino with the goal at his mercy for a simple tap in just after the half hour mark.
There was a shocked silence around the Etihad as Manchester City's fans struggled to believe what they were seeing; Liverpool were in complete control and the City players looked to be a little bit shell shocked.
Image: Jon Super / AP/Press Association Images
Just before the break, Sergio Aguero gave them a glimmer of hope with a stunning strike from the edge of the box to pull it back to 3-1, but as they went in for half-time, there was a lot of work to be done if they were to get anything out of the match.
City were much improved in the second half, as Pellegrini made two changes, bringing on Fabian Delph for Yaya Toure, while Fernandinho replaced Navas. They began to finally put Liverpool under a little bit of pressure at the back, but not before Firmino once again warmed the gloves of Joe Hart, who had to produce a number of great saves to keep Liverpool to just three goals in the opening few minutes of the second half.
However, they looked to get Aguero involved a bit more, as he also came close to threatening Simon Mignolet's goal, but the Belgian stopper proved up to the task after the Argentine forward broke through the backline on a quick counter attack.
That was to be his last involvement in the game as he was withdrawn for Kelechi Iheanacho, while Liverpool also brought off their star man Philippe Coutinho. His stats made for impressive reading, and there was no doubt that he had been the key figure for Klopp's side.
Philippe Coutinho's game by numbers: 3 shots 3 chances created 3 tackles won 1 assist 1 goal Great performance. pic.twitter.com/0Xla3GMFnr
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 21, 2015
In truth, the game began to wind down from that point on, but there was still one last dramatic moment in it as Martin Skrtel also found the back of the net with a strike that was as sweet as it was surprising, to put a little bit of extra gloss on the scoreline for Liverpool.
Image: Martin Rickett / PA Wire/Press Association Images
This match may be a turning point in the season for Liverpool, and it was clearly the style of play that their manager had been looking for as he settled in to a new job, but Manchester City seemed to be easily rattled by the high pressing of their opponents and simply couldn't cope in reduced spaces. It's a model that works off the opposition making mistakes, and the hosts obliged in spades in the opening period, which gave Liverpool a platform to build on.
City do have the odd result like this in their locker from time to time, and while that will be scant consolation for them this evening, it should also be a caveat for expecting too much from a Liverpool side who have proved time and time again that they are very inconsistent. If they can match the intensity of tonight's performance, they'll cause problems for most teams, but that's easier said than done.
Manchester City's loss means that, as it stands, there's a very unlikely side at the top of the table as Leicester's win (and Jamie Vardy's 10th goal in a row) leaves Ranieri's side as league leaders.
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