Manchester City's title hopes were dealt a devastating blow last night after they were beaten by a resilient Newcastle side under former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.
Pep Guardiola's free-scoring side started the proceedings in under 30 seconds. Sergio Aguero found the net and it looked like the relegation battlers were in for a long Tuesday night in the North East.
But time went on and City couldn't find a crucial second.
With the second-half well under way, Newcastle striker Salomon Rondon equalised, much to the surprise of Liverpool fans keeping score on their title rivals.
Before the match, the 18-time league champions sat just four points away from the current champions. And now that difference could be extended to seven if they beat Leicester at Anfield tonight.
Liverpool fans would have surely been happy with Newcastle taking maximum points away from City - and they did.
Instead of seeing the draw out, Benitez's men went on to win the match courtesy of a Matt Ritchie penalty in the final part of the match.
Reds fans were unsurprisingly overjoyed and thankful to their former manager coming-up with this upset.
But they also gave credit to their current boss and his tactful mind games prior to the match.
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In the pre-match conference hours before City's away fixture, Jurgen Klopp was asked if City playing some of their remaining matches before Liverpool will give Guardiola's side an advantage in the title race.
"For me it makes no difference," Klopp said.
"I expect City to win every game. I would expect them to beat Newcastle but I will still watch the game."
Liverpool fans were quick to jump on Twitter after the match:
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Do you think Klopp's prediction affected City's poor result? Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Football News, newcastle, Football, Pep Guardiola, Rafael Benitez, Premier League, Jurgen Klopp
