City honour Liverpool - then hammer them 4-0

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RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

VIDEO SHOWS: POST-MATCH NEWS CONFERENCES WITH LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP AND MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA AFTER CITY BEAT LIVERPOOL 4-0

SHOWS:

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (CITYTV - ACCESS ALL)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP, SAYING:

"(Losing today) has nothing to do with (winning the league) last week, to be honest. It hurts like defeats hurt. What I wanted to see tonight was a team which was ready to fight against Man City who obviously had - I have no right to say, but a point to prove, or whatever, easy motivation, perhaps. Let me put it like this. And then the decisive moments, City used, we didn't, and that doesn't help. We probably had more chances than we did in games we've won, but we didn't use them - none of them. So, City was there. Usually we don't give them that many counterattacks. With two goals, they had a throw in, which is a strength for us usually, tonight it wasn't. And that's how it was and we have this result."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES VIA ACTION IMAGES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

2. STILL PHOTO OF LIVERPOOL'S MOHAMED SALAH KNEELING IN SUPPORT OF THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AHEAD OF THE START OF THE MATCH

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (CITYTV - ACCESS ALL)

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP, SAYING:

"I've seen, I think pretty much all of City's games and even in the games they lost, they were good - unbelievable. But it's the truth, it's not that they didn't perform, they had decisive moments where their opponents scored, and that was the case tonight. We had our situations and if you've watched us before you know that we score in situations like this more often than not. Tonight, we didn't. Not at all. Then again, you have to consider the penalty. I was really happy with the start of the game, to be honest. We were there. We were completely in the game. We pressed them. It was not comfortable for them. It was a good game. Both teams pressed high, both teams tried to play football. When do see that? You don't see it a lot. So, that was all good. But then, in the very decisive moments, City was better tonight. You can see that in the result."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES VIA ACTION IMAGES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

4. STILL PHOTO OF MANCHESTER CITY'S PHIL FODEN IN ACTION

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (CITYTV - ACCESS ALL)

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP, SAYING:

"No, results matter a lot. But I don't only look for results, that's true. But like always, we want to win football games. The only reason we go to the training ground, the only reason we go to away games, we have home games, is to win football games. Yes, (results) they matter. But I cannot change them after the game. If somebody saw my team tonight and says, 'OK, for them the result didn't matter,' I cannot help that person either because I saw it. We were in the game. We were fighting. We were running. We did everything we could tonight. Was it perfect from our end? No. But that happens from time to time. The only problem is if you're not perfect and you meet Man City, then you lose. And then the result can be really, yeah, not so nice. That's how it is tonight. But that's all."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES VIA ACTION IMAGES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

6. STILL PHOTO OF MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, AND LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP ON THE PITCH DURING THE MATCH

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (CITYTV - ACCESS ALL)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, SAYING:

"But I am happy today because we won against a team who are champions in Europe and England. They were incredibly focused (trying) to beat us. I saw their faces. The way they shouted, the way the communicated, the way they wanted it. And that's why. They didn't come here to celebrate anything. I think they celebrated, they are going to celebrate, I think they drank enough beers in the start of the week, but they came here to compete against us, without a doubt. And that's why for us, to prepare for Arsenal and (Real) Madrid this game will be so important to show that, 'OK, we can do it'. But next season will be completely different. Everyone starts at zero and you have to, both Liverpool and especially ourselves, that we can do it. We can do what we've done over the years - win a lot of titles in a lot of competitions."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES VIA ACTION IMAGES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

8. STILL PHOTO OF MANCHESTER CITY'S RAHEEM STEERLING SCORING A GOAL

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (CITYTV - ACCESS ALL)

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, ON KEVIN DE BRUYNE, SAYING:

"He's a really good player. A really, really good player, this guy. He has something unique. They we can run and the vision he has. The personality right now, making penalty kicks. You know, it's three or four in a row that he's scoring and we've struggled a lot this season with penalties. So, right now, he's the best. Yeah. Right now in the midfield position, he's the best."

JOURNALIST: "Can he get better?"

GUARDIOLA: "Of course."

JOURNALIST: "How?"

GUARDIOLA: "He knows it."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES VIA ACTION IMAGES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

10. STILL PHOTO OF MANCHESTER CITY'S KEVIN DE BRUYNE SCORING A GOAL FROM PENALTY SPOT

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (CITYTV - ACCESS ALL)

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, SAYING:

"Well, Leroy (Sane) is gone. I've already seen pictures of him with the Bayern Munich shirt. I think they're going to announce tonight or tomorrow. And unfortunately, Sergio (Aguero) is injured. And we hopefully Sergio can be here. But we will wait for him. I don't know if he'll be ready for the Champions League. The second leg against Madrid is for sure impossible. But we have to look forward. We're going to wait for him and with the players that we have, we're going to do it."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS PICTURES VIA ACTION IMAGES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

13. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF MANCHESTER CITY SQUAD MAKING A GUARD OF HONOUR FOR PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS LIVERPOOL BEFORE THEIR MATCH

STORY: Manchester City generously applauded new champions Liverpool onto the field before their Premier League match on Thursday (July 2) -- and promptly showed no mercy by thrashing them 4-0 at the Etihad stadium.

With the title secured a week ago, there was little at stake for Juergen Klopp's Liverpool side who showed far from their usual levels of intensity but the loss, just their second of the league campaign, was an emphatic reminder that City will be desperate to regain their crown next season.

After the guard of honour, which included City manager Pep Guardiola, the visitors started brightly and Ederson had to be alert to keep out a fourth-minute effort from Mohamed Salah.

Salah then struck the post after a clever pass from Roberto Firmino, whose hair was coloured red, but if Liverpool thought they were in for another night of festivities, they were in for a rude awakening.

Joe Gomez could not cope with Raheem Sterling's twisting and turning in the box, pulling him to the ground before Kevin De Bruyne converted the penalty in the 25th minute.

Sterling doubled the lead 10 minutes later when after a swift break, Phil Foden found him inside the box and the ex-Liverpool forward cut inside Gomez and slid the ball home.

The 20-year-old Foden made it 3-0, firing past Alisson after a swift exchange with Kevin De Bruyne.

City were showing an unusual willingness to play long balls and after Rodri launched a pass deep to De Bruyne, the Belgian found Sterling inside the box and he slipped the ball goalwards, with substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's outstretched touch only turning it into his own net.

It could have been even worse for Liverpool with Riyad Mahrez's fine solo effort in the final moments but VAR spotted a handball by Foden in the build-up.

The loss was the joint-heaviest defeat by a side already crowned Premier League champions. Arsenal were beaten 4-0 at Liverpool in 1997-98 in the game after they clinched the title.

(Production: Kurt Michael Hall)