84 min: Salah, the match-winner, departs the scene. Curtis Jones comes on as a closer.

De Bruyne misses a sitter/Kelleher saves!

81 min: How did City become so vulnerable? It’s an amazing – and welcome for many – development. This season was supposed to be about lawyerball not actual football.

80 min: City subs: Foden and Lewis off, De Bruyne and Grealish on. They will have to perform a miracle. Meanwhile, Salah and Silva tangle. Silva kicked Salah’s hand. Petulance, yeah, that’ll help.

79 min: Pep shakes his head. His team have played well in the second half. Nowhere near their best but something like their old selves. The defending, the composure for that penalty, was unacceptable at any level.

Goal! Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City (Salah, pen, 78)

Penalty to Liverpool

74 min: Van Dijk wants this finished. He surges forward like Alan Hansen and sets up Nunez, who checks back and City clear. Quansah – in fact – is playing right-back.

72 min: Two Liverpool changes: Gakpo and Trent off, Quansah and Nunez on. Gomez will look after Doku. Quansah hasn’t been seen since Portman Road when he got repeatedly rolled by Liam Delap.

70 min: Trent, this time, stops Doku, who is causing real problems. On the other flank, Savinho is doing similar, and as he checks and chips, Gomez clears.

68 min: Darwin Nunez is imminent. Meanwhile Doku spins and skins Trent, and it takes Van Dijk to stop it reaching Haaland. Within seconds Gakpo is going close at the other end. Liverpool retain their speed on the break. But have they lost their touch in front of goal?

67 min: Peter Oh gets in touch: “Re: Pep’s coin-toss mind games. City can run from the Kop, they can hide from the Kop, but eventually the Kop will get them.”

I have a feeling that was Kyle Walker’s plan.

66 min: A rash of Liverpool attacks. Gakpo gets away, Salah veers offside, and Trent’s shot, saved by Ortega, becomes moot.

64 min: Another centre-back – Ake – smashes it long for Haaland. Pep really is going old school. Brings a tear to the eye for the likes of Bassett, Kinnear, Beck, Taylor, Pulis, Warnock and Allardyce. They always knew. And now so does Pep. Haaland doesn’t look like he fancies being the new Wayne Allison, mind.

63 min: Salah scoops one wide, having barrelled through. One thing about him: he’s not afraid to miss.

62 min: Van Dijk reads an Akanji ball arrowing for Haaland. Great play from the Dutchman.

61 min: Liverpool attempt to pass it around, and advance forward. Szoboszlai has a shot blocked after Mac Allister’s elegant turn and gallop.

59 min: Doku and Savinho – two wingers – Pep is going old-school. Rico Lewis appears to be pushed forward, too, released from what is now a back three. It may take a while to work out a revised formation. It’s all City, Liverpool looking to the counter.

57 min: City subs; Savinho and Doku on, Gundogan and Nunes go off. Nunes was on a booking.

Salah misses a sitter...

55 min: Walker and Silva almost combine to get away. Anfield now rings out…their fans are encouraging the team on…

53 min: On the sidelines, Pep and Juanma are back on speaking terms. And Nunes’ high press almost robs an idling Gomez. City want – and deserve – a corner.

52 min: City look…better. Nunes forces a corner. Their fans can be heard, too. Szoboszlai on Haaland is an odd pairing at corners but the danger is cleared.

51 min: Trent to take, Virgil van Dijk gets to it, escaping everyone, Gabriel-style. But the ball lands on the roof of the net.

50 min: Foden forces a corner, running down the channels. Is Pep going old school here? The big man to aim for is Haaland but Akanji heads over…Liverpool spring forward, Robertson zings it to Gakpo, and Nunes makes a fine tackle. We’re back on!

48 min: De Bruyne is now warming up. Maybe it ain’t over till it’s over. Still all City but very much sterile possession.

47 min: Rupak chips in: “No one can deny the role Klopp played in revamping this Liverpool squad. But my goodness, the clarity in decision making these players are showing, most of whom have arrived only last season, indicates how good Arne has slotted in.”

City are playing keep-ball. This is where Liverpool may have to suffer.

Back underway at Anfield

In the UK, Sky keep showing clips of Pep’s half-time team talks from last season. He talks so quickly, I’d struggle, to be quite honest.

Doku, Grealish, Savinho all warming up: no De Bruyne. Is it over for him at City?

Will Liverpool rue not blowing City away? We’re about to find out.

Kari Tulinius gets in touch, too: “Alexander-Arnold is an amazing player. His passes from deep land so smoothly, like he was chipping them from ten yards away. There’s no player like him in the game today, it sounds ludicrous that it’s really an open question whether he’ll stay at Liverpool after this season. Though the idea of him passing to Mbappé and Vinicius has aesthetic appeal.”

You tease….

Tim Pearson does, too: “City have the look of an aging heavyweight, returned for one too many paydays, hand speed gone, legs heavy and slow, granite jaw suddenly turned to glass. And that dazed, perplexed look as the young challenger’s blows overwhelm what little wit and instinct he has left.”

Drew gets in touch: “Almost impossible to pick fault with Slot’s Liverpool but they’ve done a great job of quieting the crowd since that frenetic start. Surely a Klopp Liverpool would be 4-0 up by now… “

Half-time: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City

45_+1 min: Three minutes added on. Pep and Juanma are deep in discussion.

44 min: Salah hurt? Looks like he was stood on. The referee take no notice.Salahj gets up and is the target of a pass out to the wing.

43 min: City doing their best to calm the storm. Much more patient, better shape, Ortega ends up playing a pass to nobody. Liverpool can resume.

41 min: Applause as Liverpool play some Slot-ball. They only just fail to play in Diaz.

39 min: City’s first shot? Robertson lets in Lewis and the ball is jabbed wide. Still. City are better at the moment. Much betterl.

38 min: A penalty claim? Nope. Diaz had fallen to the surface rather too easily.

37 min: Pep is pacing. His team attempt to work a set piece and Bernardo Silva can only lump the ball at Kelleher…that’s poor.

35 min: Gakpo barrels to the byline, but cannot find a teammate. City clear, and Gravenberch is booked for legging up Gundogan. Haaland was the next and willing recipient.

34 min: Close again! Mac Allister’s corner is headed out, and Trent has yet another dig. It’s something of a scuff but comes off the bottom of the post.

32 min: After the heavy metal thunder, back to the jazz rock. Though Foden shows punkish energy in pulling back Gravenberch. He’s booked for a shirt pull.

31 min: Szoboszlai plays in Trent, whose wallop at goal hits the first man.

30 min: City finding the angles and seeing the pictures at last. Liverpool having to chase. Like old times? That City defence still looks wobbly.

28 min: Haaland is ordering his teammates to get in shape as Liverpool get the ball. A new leader emerging?

26 min: Gravenberch fouls Foden when Nunes was expectant. No yellow, when it might have been. City have a head of steam up, and are in possession, suddenly looking more comfortable.

25 min: Are City finding their feet?…Anfield sounds anxious.

24 min: Lewis and Walker get in a terrible tangle. City clear and Nunes gets the sixth touch in the Liverpool final third. He then loses the ball and concedes a foul and a yellow. That too was sloppy.

23 min: Touches in final third 45-5. Can anyone remember the five from City?