Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City: Barclays Premier League as it happened

As for Liverpool, they showed commendable character and spirit to bounce back from that penalty shoot-out defeat at Wembley.

That is all from us for now, but stay tuned to IBTimes UK for all the latest post-match reaction from across tonight's Premier League games. Goodbye.

Is that the death knell for City's final title charge under Pellegrini? A third consecutive league defeat means they remain 10 points behind leaders Leicester with only one game in hand. The gap to Tottenham and Arsenal has not increased as both of those sides lost tonight, but wins for West Ham and Manchester United mean that they could easily drop out of the top four altogether if things do not improve quickly.

The prospect of no Champions League football under Pep Guardiola next season will become more realistic the longer this poor run continues.

Full-time

Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City

Allen blazes a dipping half-volley on to the roof of the net after Mignolet's long punt forward is nodded down by Benteke. What a goal that would have been.

Three minutes of added time signalled by the fourth official.

Like Firmino before him, Milner is treated to a warm reception from the home fans as he walks off. He has been very impressive tonight.

A break in play now as Flanagan receives treatment after being accidentally struck in the face by Kolarov's flailing hand.

Klopp uses the time to make his third change, withdrawing Milner and sending on Jordon Ibe.

Inches away from a Liverpool fourth as Henderson's whipped free-kick sneaks past Kolarov and Otamendi in the City wall before flying agonisingly wide of the post.

Woeful from City as the ball is sliced wildly over Mignolet's crossbar. You could attribute it to being a bit after the Lord Mayor's show, were they not hoping to stay in the title race.

Full-time scores from tonight's 19.45 GMT kick-offs:

Arsenal 1-2 Swansea

Stoke 1-0 Newcastle

West Ham 1-0 Tottenham

City will curse their lackluster effort tonight, as Tottenham and Arsenal have both been beaten. They have wasted the opportunity to close that gap.

The game has entered something of a lull now, which will suit Liverpool perfectly as they seek to preserve their impressive lead.

A final sub from City sees Aleksandar Kolarov replace Clichy. Liverpool, meanwhile, bring on Joe Allen for Firmino. A hearty round of applause ensues for the Brazilian.

15 minutes plus stoppage time left to play.

This is Benteke's first involvement of any kind since his second-half cameo during the 6-0 romp at Aston Villa on Valentine's Day.

Aguero sprints forward and successfully hurdles the challenge of Lovren before being knocked down by a fair challenge from Toure. Impressive speed from the 34-year-old, who could have given away a penalty.

Lallana has clearly got under the skin of these City players and Fernando is penalised for a tough foul on the ex-Southampton captain.

As if you were left in any doubt as to how comfortable this game has been for Liverpool, Klopp opts to replace Origi with the lesser-spotted Christian Benteke.

Another flair-up involving Lallana as he takes exception to being manhandled by Navas, who is promptly shown the evening's first yellow card after a bit of pushing and shoving.

Milner is clearly in the mood against his former club. The 30-year-old demonstrates quick feet to slalom his way past Zabaleta but his latest shot is wide of Hart's right-hand post.

Still Liverpool push forward and Hart is at full stretch to tip Milner's powerful effort over the crossbar.

Just moments after taking off one of their two holding midfielders, City concede. Otamendi gives away possession with a woeful touch in the middle of the park and Lallana does brilliantly to coast through and set up Firmino, who curls a shot beyond Hart for his seventh goal of the season.

Surely that's all three points in the bag now.

Goal: Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City (Roberto Firmino)

Slick movement from City as Fernandinho links up beautifully with Aguero but his final pass to Silva is struck just a touch too hard.

That proves to be the former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder's last contribution as he is the man to make way for Iheanacho. Another early attacking change from Pellegrini, who knows his side really need to get a result tonight in order to keep their title bid alive.

City are still offering no real attacking threat and Pellegrini, presumably deeply unhappy with what he has seen, is preparing to send on Kelechi Iheanacho.

Liverpool start quickly and Hart has to be alert to stop Origi's effort from a tight angle. Lallana is a whisker away from the rebound but City eventually clear.

The second half is off and running. One change from City at the break, with Sterling replaced by Wilfried Bony.

An ideal opening 45 minutes for Liverpool, who will have impressed Klopp and their own supporters by how efficiently they have responded to that penalty shoot-out heartbreak.

City were carved apart all too easily for both goals and are sinking quickly out of the title race.

Half-time

Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City

An unmarked Aguero almost reduces the arrears for City but his goalbound free header is blocked by the chest of Milner.

Suspicions that may have struck part of his arm too, but referee Atkinson waves play on.

The hosts are comfortably on top and looking confident, despite that Capital One Cup disappointment.

Clyne bombs forward down the left flank before playing in Firmino, who is adjudged to have strayed offside before his cross finds Lallana.

Non-existent defending from Pellegrini's side as Liverpool double their advantage with a second goal in quick succession.

Lallana is involved again as he commits two blue shirts down the right before providing a backheel for Firmino, who immediately tees up Milner.

The former City midfielder produces a wonderful first touch to take him beyond Kompany and he slots coolly past Hart under pressure from Zabaleta.

Goal: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City (James Milner)

That should liven things up. After some quick passing involving Henderson and Flanagan, Milner picks out Lallana with a first-time ball.

The England midfielder then drives forward unchecked and produces a speculative left-footed shot that finds the bottom corner. Poor goalkeeping from Hart, who will have been disappointed to get nowhere near such a tame effort.

A penny for Caballero's thoughts?

Goal: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City (Adam Lallana)

Good awareness from Kompany to prevent Can's inventive pass from reaching Lallana.

City then look to break and play some attractive passes before Silva's attempted through ball to Aguero is overhit and collected by Mignolet.

Sterling has struggled to get into this match during the opening half hour and his first shot from distance fails to trouble Mignolet.

There is a strong wind blowing at Anfield. Can tries to pick out the overlapping run of Flanagan but the ball is carried wide.

Much better from City now as Navas creates an opening down the right channel and gets the better of Clyne before flashing a low diagonal ball across the six-yard box that just evades the attention of Aguero.

At last a shot on target and it's Firmino who looks to test Hart after picking up Lallana's pass intended for Origi. Comfortable save.

At the other end, Mignolet shows good reflexes to beat the ball away from danger after Zabaleta is played in by Navas and fires a dangerous cross towards the near post.

20 minutes gone and nothing by way of chances - clear-cut or otherwise - for either side so far. City are barely in the game at all.

Liverpool are dominating possession here as Lallana's attempted cross is deflected behind by Gael Clichy. Milner swings in the corner but Hart confidently punches clear.

Led by Lallana, Liverpool are pressing City hard in possession but their final ball has left a lot to be desired thus far.

Milner's ambitious long-range drive is blocked.

Neat flowing football from Liverpool, with captain Jordan Henderson combining nicely with Origi before Milner's floated cross towards Firmino runs out of play.

More specialist treatment for Sterling as he is barged over by an unforgiving Flanagan down the City left.

David Silva picks out Fernandinho with the subsequent free-kick but the Brazilian's header drifts harmlessly wide.

Plenty of early effort and endeavour from Lallana, who was brought on as a second-half substitute in the cup final before becoming embroiled in a heated exchange with Yaya Toure.

Klopp has also opted to play Flanagan at right-back, with Clyne starting on the left.

Cheers from the home supporters as Sterling is nudged over by Firmino. Origi then looks to embark upon a mazy run but is unfairly stopped in his tracks courtesy of a Nicolas Otamendi bodycheck.

Good defending from Fernandinho to head the free-kick clear.

An early welcome back to familiar territory for Sterling, who is subjected to a meaty but fair challenge from Flanagan.

Liverpool are having the better of the opening exchanges.

Referee Martin Atkinson gets us underway at Anfield. Can Liverpool get their revenge?

Mignolet, who did make one or two fine second-half saves at Wembley, will be praying for no more slip-ups tonight...

Here are the results from last night's top-flight games, which saw Leicester finally drop points and Chelsea continue their impressive form under interim boss Guus Hiddink:

Aston Villa 1-3 Everton

Bournemouth 2-0 Southampton

Leicester 2-2 West Brom

Norwich 1-2 Chelsea

Sunderland 2-2 Crystal Palace

There are four other Premier League fixtures taking place tonight. Of particular interest to City will be events at Upton Park and the Emirates Stadium, where rivals Tottenham and Arsenal are in action against West Ham and Swansea respectively.

In the evening's only other 20.00 GMT kick-off, Manchester United host Watford. Relegation battlers Newcastle also travel to Stoke.

While City have won only two of their last nine away games, Liverpool are yet to emerge victorious from any of their Premier League meetings at Anfield since the turn of the year.

The Reds, who sit 11th before kick-off, safely secured passage to the last 16 of the Europa League thanks to an early second-leg penalty from James Milner against Augsburg. They also stuffed six past Championship-bound Aston Villa in February.

City's Wembley triumph was preceded by a comfortable Champions League win against Dynamo Kiev. Pellegrini claimed to have been reduced to just 13 fit senior outfield players in the week building up that game and as such fielded a very youthful side in a 5-1 FA Cup fifth-round humbling at the hands of Chelsea.

Their league form has also been rather patchy, with consecutive defeats to title rivals Leicester and Tottenham leaving them fourth and 10 points adrift of the surprise leaders albeit having played two games less.

Although City claimed bragging rights in the Capital One Cup final, they were heavily beaten 4-1 in the last league meeting between these two sides at the Etihad Stadium back in November.

Efforts from Coutinho and Roberto Firmino in addition to an Eliaquim Mangala own goal saw Liverpool race into a 3-0 lead, with Skrtel notching the fourth 10 minutes from full-time. Aguero grabbed a consolation shortly before the break.

There will be no Toure sibling rivalry at Anfield tonight as Yaya recovers from that foot problem. Navas gets the nod.

Hart is back in for Caballero and there is also a change at right-back, where Pablo Zabaleta replaces Bacary Sagna.

Five changes from Klopp, who pairs the returning Lovren with Toure in central defence and opts to play right-back Jon Flanagan on the left ahead of the unreliable Alberto Moreno.

Sakho misses out as expected, while Lallana and Divock Origi start instead of Coutinho and Sturridge, who does not make the bench. Skrtel is included as a substitute.

Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Clichy, Kompany, Otamendi, Fernando, Fernandinho, Navas, Silva, Sterling, Aguero

Substitutes: Caballero, Sagna, Demichelis, Kolarov, Bony, Iheanacho, Mangala

Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Flanagan, Henderson, Can, Milner, Lallana, Firmino, Origi

Substitutes: Ward, Skrtel, Moreno, Allen, Ibe, Coutinho, Benteke

Team news is on its way very shortly...

As for City, Joe Hart is expected to regain his place ahead of Caballero despite the Argentine's penalty joy.

Toure has been considered a major doubt with a foot injury, but Manuel Pellegrini has been keen to stress that Raheem Sterling will start on his first return to Anfield since his controversial £49m exit in July 2015.

Fabian Delph, Kevin de Bruyne and Samir Nasri all remain sidelined.

Liverpool will be without Lucas tonight after the industrious midfielder, who has been impressing as a makeshift centre-back of late, sustained a muscle injury while taking his penalty in the cup final.

Mamadou Sakho also seems unlikely to feature after being substituted after just 25 minutes at Wembley following a sickening clash of heads with Emre Can. The French international initially tried to play on before hurling a water bottle in frustration when he was quickly replaced by Kolo Toure.

Daniel Sturridge was also deemed questionable due to cramps that stopped him from stepping up during the shoot-out. Martin Skrtel could feature after returning to first-team training last week following more than two months out with a hamstring injury, while fellow defender Dejan Lovren may also be in contention after illness.

Good evening and welcome to IBTimes UK's live coverage of tonight's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield, in what represents an immediate chance for Jurgen Klopp's side to exact some swift vengeance following their cruel Capital One Cup final defeat to the same opposition on Sunday.

The respective teams just could not be separated over a gruelling but eventually thoroughly engrossing 120 minutes at Wembley, with Philippe Coutinho's late equaliser forcing extra-time after an error from Simon Mignolet had allowed Fernandinho to put City in front after the break.

Liverpool had booked their place in the final courtesy of a nervy penalty shoot-out victory over Stoke, yet could not repeat the trick from 12 yards as Lucas, Coutinho and Adam Lallana all saw their spot-kicks saved by Willy Caballero.

Fernandinho also hit the post for City, but the 2014 winners were able to secure their second League Cup triumph in three seasons thanks to their second-choice goalkeeper's heroics combined with the composure of Jesus Navas, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure.

Kick-off on Merseyside is at 20.00 GMT, so stay tuned for breaking team news and confirmed line-ups from both camps. We will also have live updates throughout the evening....