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Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield on April 13, 2014 in Liverpool, England. (GETTY)
Premier League leaders Liverpool took a huge step towards becoming English champions for the first time in 24 years when they defeated third-placed Manchester City 3-2 at Anfield on Sunday for a 10th successive win.
The Merseyside club have not finished top since 1990, two years before the Premier League began.
Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put them 2-0 up in 26 minutes before David Silva led a City revival. The Spaniard reduced the deficit and an own goal by Glen Johnson brought an equaliser only five minutes later.
But Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho drove in the winner after a mistake by City's captain Vincent Kompany.
Liverpool's Jordan Henderson was sent off in added time and will miss three of the four remaining games.
Liverpool are now seven points ahead of City, having played two games more, and five ahead of their next visitors Chelsea, who play at Swansea in the later match on Sunday.
Their manager Brendan Rodgers hailed "a remarkable performance" and said the team were "incredible today".
It was an emotional day for the club, who commemorated 25 years since the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 of their supporters died at an FA Cup semi-final. There was a minute's silence before kickoff, after which the home fans roared their team into a sixth-minute lead.
Luis Suarez outmuscled his marker Gael Clichy and fed Sterling, the teenager cleverly dummying Kompany and England goalkeeper Joe Hart before scoring.
Twenty minutes later Hart saved well from a header by Liverpool's unmarked captain Steven Gerrard but from the resulting corner Slovak defender Skrtel headed in.
TOURE INJURED
In between, City had lost their influential Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure and not until shortly before halftime did they threaten. Johnson and Sterling had to clear off the line in the same attack and Fernandinho's half-volley was saved by Simon Mignolet.
City, champions two years ago before losing their title to neighbours Manchester United last season, continued to improve after halftime with James Milner then Sergio Aguero coming on.
In the 56th minute Milner set up Silva to score from close range and five minutes afterwards Silva and Samir Nasri worked a neat passing move that ended with Johnson deflecting the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge, a former City player, and Suarez both wanted a penalty in separate incidents but television replays suggested the ever controversial Suarez had dived and, having already been given a yellow card, could have been sent off.
City were beginning to look the more likely winners despite their poor start and Mignolet had to save well from Edin Dzeko before Silva just failed to reach Aguero's inviting cross.
But Liverpool came again. Kompany miskicked a clearance and Coutinho beat Hart with fine low shot from 15 metres.
Henderson's red card came for a lunging tackle on Nasri and his suspension will rule him out of three vital games, including the visit of second-placed Chelsea in two weeks' time.
At the final whistle, Gerrard gathered his team in a huddle in the middle of the pitch as the home supporters celebrated wildly.
Liverpool may still need to beat Chelsea in order to take the title but this thrilling victory has undoubtedly made them favourites.
FULL TIME
Liverpool 3 ( Sterling 6", Skrtel 26", Coutinho 77") City 2 (Silva 57", Johnson 63")
Liverpool began attack on the start with Gerrard, Suarez and Sturridge igniting the flame attacking relentlessly attempting to break the City wall.
The first breakthrough came with Sterling volleying home a Suarez effort.
Suarez tackled two defenders to setup Sterling in the box who made no mistake to slam in the ball beating Hart under the crossbar in the 6th minute of the game.
City had no time to ponder as Liverpool got their act together to fire with Coutinho missing closely twice but Liverpool fans had a lot to cheer after Skrtel slammed home the
second goal in the 26th minute.
The goal came off a Gerrard corner floating over the heads of Clichy and Kompany to find Skrtel who made no mistake to head in the ball.
The second half was a cracker of a match with City clawing back with Milner setting up Silva flipping the ball from the edge of the line beating Flanagan and Sakho to find
Silva in front of the box who volleyed home in the 57th minute.
Just as Liverpool were regrouping Johnson slammed home the equaliser in the 63rd minute to put the game on the razors edge.
Both teams fought well with Henderson shown the red for a ugly tackle on Silva. But Liverpools hero Coutinho headed home a wonderful pass from the right flank
making no mistake to put Liverpool on top at Anfield.
90+5" Suarez attempts to nail the game as he darts with the ball but the ref blows the full time whistle signalling the death knell for City.90+5" Liverpool are now reduced to 10 men as Henderson is given te red for a ugly tackle on Silva.
90+1" Sturridge and Gerrard attempt to get past Zabaleta but are blocked.
89" Moses comes in for Coutinho as Liverpool plot another assault with Sturridge and Suarez.
87" Liverpool look upbeat with Sturridge setting up Suarez who shoots wide off the mark.
84" Milner moves the around to Silva who taps it up to Nasri but Coutinho intercepts.
83" Nasri and Agüero combine well to attack with Sakho blocking them well in the midfield.
81" City looked stunned and fight with Demichelis missing to head the ball in off a corner.
Liverpool 3 ( Sterling 6", Skrtel 26", Coutinho 77") City 2 (Silva 57", Johnson 63")
77" GOAL! Coutinho heads in a wonderful pass from the right flank making no mistake to put Liverpool ahead.
75" Silva misses to tap in the ball with just the keeper to beat with Agüero setting him up from the right flank.
73" Liverpool look anxious to score again with Suarez and Coutinho attaempting long shots at the post.
70" Suarez is all fired up and dashes towards Hart with the ball taking a right footer but Hart defelcts it out.
69" Suarez is closely watched by the ref as he attempts to win over the ball from Silva but fails.
67" City are roaring with Silva, Nasri and new man in Milner tormenting the reds.
Liverpool 2 ( Sterling 6", Skrtel 26") City 02 (Silva 57", Johnson 63")
63" GOAL! It's a self goal by Johnson who finds the net off a Silva ball beating Mignolet and the stunned keeper in the box.
Liverpool 2 ( Sterling 6", Skrtel 26") City 1 (Silva 57")
57" GOAL! Milner setup Silva flipping the ball from the edge of the line beating Flanagan and Sakho to find Silva in front of the box who volleys the ball in.
55" Milner lifts the ball over the line to Silva in the box who finds the net but the linesman has his flag up in time.
52" Suarez is down after a hot chase with Demichelis on the ball. The ref lets off Suarez with a warning as he appears to be feigning.
50" City make quick substitution bringing in Milner for Navas. City look to strike form in the second half.
48" City look desperate to get their goal but Suarez and Sakho dampen their hopes winning the odd the ball.
46" Gerrard on the ball with Skrtel running on the left flank but misses to latch on.
HALF TIME
Liverpool 2 ( Sterling 6", Skrtel 26") City 0
45" Liverpool labour hard with Sturridge almost missing on the counter with Kompany completely beaten in the defence.
42" City missed opening account with Silva heading the ball defelected off Sakho for a corner.
41" Coutinho misses to covert a wonderfull pass off Suarez shooting wide off the mark with Hart darting towards him.
39" Suarez on the ball with Nasri in hot pursuit but the ball is pushed over the line by Clichy for a throw in.
38" City had their hopes raised with a freekick being awarded on teh edge of the box but Nasri shoots into the wall.
35" Liverpool are on the offensive forcing Demichelis and Kompany to work hard with Coutinho lurking to latch on to the odd ball in the box.
33" Sturridge feeds Suarez who is well marked by Dzeko and Silva but manages to dribble through.
30" Liverpool definetly look in top form with Sturridge threatening to further widen the gap with Kompany on his heels.
Liverpool 2 ( Sterling 6", Skrtel 26") City 0
26" GOAL! Skrtel scores off a Gerrard corner beating Hart completely to the right. What a clean finish.
24" City look to regain composure with Dzeko and Silva moving ahead with lightning speed with Nasri supporting the duo.
22" Kompany wins the ball from Sturridge and pushed it down to Nasri who sprints ahead with Silva.
21" Yellow for Javi García as he attempts to tame the ball with Gerrard going down as he tackes him from behind.
19" City under pressure with Touré labouring in the midfield supported by Dzeko and Silva.
14" Sturridge just misses adding his name to teh score sheet with Sterling setting him up with a beautifull pass but he fails to tap in the ball.
12" City on the offensive with Yaya Touré slamming from the ball from the edge but shooting it wide of the mark.
Liverpool 1 ( Sterling 6") City 0
10" Sturridge and Gerrard on the offensive make inroads into the City half but Dzeko wins the ball.
4" Yellow for Suarez as he attempts to win the ball from Demichelis bringing him down with a ugle tackle.
6" GOAL! Suarez dodges two defenders to setup a wonderfull pass to Sterling in the box who makes no mistake to slam in the ball beating Hart under the crossbar.
2" Suarez movesthe ball around to Gerrard who darts ahead to loft it over Yaya Touré to Coutinho.
1" Liverpool on the attack with Gerrard moving the ball to Suarez. Ball in Liverpools possesion.
Both teams lineup in the tunnel and now head towards the midfield. Gerrard and Zabaleta make eye contact as the fans cheer the teams to the ground.
Anfield is packed and emotional as the clock races to the kick-off to the title deciding game.
Big game atmosphere building up. The mood around the stadium is fantastic with fans all set to cheer their favourite teams.
Fans have been paying their respects to the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy outside Anfield ahead of the match.
City keeper Joe Hart sounds confident ahead of the big game with with a lot riding on it. The same goes for Liverpool who have a solid fans following at Anfield today.
City players warmup with Kompany looking in striking form. This is a huge relief for City fans as well as for Pellegrini.
Sergio Aguero has scored in five successive Premier League appearances and has netted six league goals in his away games. It 's left to be seen if he can fire in today's game.
Liverpool are the in-form team in the Premier League and will look to make it 10 wins from their last 10 when they host title rivals City.
STARTING XI
Liverpool: Mignolet, Johnson, Flanagan, Gerrard, Skrtel, Sakho, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez, Sterling, Sturridge.
Subs:Jones, Kolo Touré, Agger, Iago Aspas, Moses, Lucas, Allen.
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Clichy, Fernandinho, Kompany, Demichelis, Jesús Navas, Yaya Touré, Dzeko, Silva, Nasri.
Subs: Lescott, Milner, Negredo, Kolarov, Javi García, Agüero, Pantilimon.
TEAM NEWS
Liverpool's 2-1 win over West Ham saw them extend their winning run to 9 and fans are dreaming of title glory this season.
Matija Nastasic and Micah Richards are closing in on a return to fitness, while Yaya Touré is a doubt having picked up a knock in the 4-1 win over Southampton.
The Reds have almost a fully fit squad available, with only José Enrique certain to miss out, while Daniel Agger is a doubt.
Sergio Agüero missed the victory over Saints, but should return to the squad for the trip to Anfield.
Lucas may come in for Philippe Coutinho in midfield to provide greater defensive protection to the defence.
Manuel Pellegrini could start Gaël Clichy in place of Aleksandar Kolarov, while Vincent Kompany is a doubt
PROBABLE FORMATIONS
Liverpool: 4-3-3
Manchester City: 4-2-3-1
STAT ATTACK
Liverpool have been winning at both half time and full time in 12 of their last 13 home matches in the Premier League.
Man City have scored at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches against Liverpool in all competitions.
Liverpool have drawn 5 of their last 6 home matches against Man City in all competitions.
Man City have won 5 of their last 6 matches in the Premier League.
Liverpool have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 4 matches against Man City in all competitions.
Liverpool have scored at least 2 goals in their last 13 home matches in the Premier League.
City are unbeaten in their last 10 games away from home, winning 7.
PREVIEW
Britain's biggest bookmaker believes that the winner of Sunday's crucial clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield is a certainty to win the Premier League title.
"This has been billed as a title decider and the odds suggest that that is the case," William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said.
"Whoever wins this match will be the red hot favourite for the title."
Last Sunday's 2-1 win over West Ham, in which Steven Gerrard scored two penalties, was Liverpool's ninth in a row and moved them to 74 points from 33 games.
Five wins from their last five games will see them land a first top-flight crown since 1990.
They are two points ahead of second-place Chelsea who also have still to visit Anfield in the run-in. City are third in the league two points behind Chelsea and four adrift of Liverpool but have two games in hand on both their rivals.
Liverpool's extraordinary run has been built on the Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge goal machine. Suarez has 29 Premier League goals while Sturridge has 20.
The match will be poignant for Liverpool fans as it comes two days before the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 96 of their fans died in a crush at an FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.
Matches in the top five divisions of English football will kick off seven minutes later than originally planned to commemorate the six minutes after which the original match was halted and an extra minute's silence as a mark of respect.
Liverpool will wear special commemorative shirts against City and for their last remaining matches.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has sought to calm the atmosphere before the match.
"It will be a very emotional day, but the team that has the cold mind will win the game," he said.
"It is easy in these big games to have the motivation, but it is very important to manage the anxiety. That is very important for all the players.
"With an excess of anxiety, you can make more mistakes. The game will be decided by one or two goals. So it's very important to have control of your mind in these moments."
SUAREZ EYES RECORD
Luis Suarez is only three goals away from setting a new scoring record for a 38-game Premier League season - not bad considering he was still serving a ban for biting when it started.
The Uruguayan says he will not have personal milestones on his mind on Sunday, however, when leaders Liverpool host Manchester City in their most important domestic fixture for several years.
Victory for Liverpool on an emotional day for the club marking 25 years since the Hillsborough tragedy, while not necessarily being decisive, would put them within touching distance of a first English title since 1990.
"For myself, it is more important that Liverpool finish in a good position," 29-goal Suarez, who is two shy of the joint record hauls of Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo, told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).
"I try in every game to score because I am a striker. I love to make goals, but for me if I could swap being top scorer or winning the Golden Boot for the team finishing in the top four, that would be more important."
Liverpool are almost certain to finish in the top four and return to the Champions League next season, but with five games to go and the title in their own hands, no longer can they be considered outsiders to finish the season in first place.
Victory on Sunday, when the game will kick off seven minutes late to commemorate Hillsborough, would leave the Reds seven points clear of City with four games left, although City will still have two games in hand.
Chelsea, the third club vying for the title, also have to visit Anfield in what is likely to become a nerve-jangling finale to the Premier League season.
Liverpool have the momentum, however, having won nine league games on the spin and for Suarez it is just a matter of keeping going until the end.
"For some people, it's a surprise because in the Premier League it is difficult to win nine games in a row," said Suarez, who on Friday was named joint Premier league Player of the Month alongside skipper Steven Gerrard.
"With all the games, every week, we work to try and win. We work very hard. Our target was to finish in the top four and we've won our last few games.
"We also know Chelsea and City dropped some points, so we're at the top of the league now and that's amazing for us. Now we can't stop because we have a really good chance."
Manager Brendan Rodgers, who not surprisingly collected the Premier League manager of the month award, maintains that Champions League qualification remains the objective.
"That's not secured yet," he said, but former Liverpool title winner and manager Graeme Souness is in no doubt that they may never have a better opportunity.
"For me, it's for Liverpool to lose," he told Sky Sports.
"You've got your destiny in your own hands, you've got two games at home, against your two biggest rivals.
"It's not just the three points you take off them, it's the psychological damage you do to them."
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