Three positives to take from Liverpool’s 4-1 win at Man City

Better than Brazil?

Sir Tom Finney famously declared that Liverpool’s title-winning side of 1988 were better than Brazil after a 5-0 demolition of Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino can’t even get in the Brazil squad at the moment, but the Liverpool pair certainly showed Dunga what he is missing with a scintillating display at The Etihad. The samba duo showed signs of a blossoming understanding in a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge last month. But after being omitted from the Brazil squad during the recent international break, their mutual understanding looks to have improved thanks to some hard work on the training ground over the past two weeks. Manchester City’s makeshift defence of Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala couldn’t cope with the intensity of Liverpool’s attacking trio of Coutinho, Firmino and Adam Lallana. Coutinho won the ball off Bacary Sagna to help create the opener, before Firmino teed up the 23-year-old midfielder for Liverpool’s second with an incisive pass. The £29m summer signing opened his Premier League account after another samba-fuelled move, with Coutinho supplying the pass for his compatriot. Coutinho and Firmino did waste chances to restore Liverpool’s three-goal cushion but it was an otherwise perfect performance. The Reds still have a long way to go to emulate the likes of John Aldridge, Peter Beardsley et al.

Lucas’s renaissance continues

The Brazil international has rightly been praised in recent weeks and Lucas Leiva’s renaissance continued in Saturday’s 4-1 win. As highlighted in Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Lucas made three tackles, four interceptions and won the ball more times than any other midfielders on show at The Etihad. Considering the South American looked to be attempting to impress potential suitors in the summer with a series of training videos on Instagram after falling out-of-favour under Klopp’s predecessor Brendan Rodgers, Lucas’s revival is all the more impressive. Only Toulouse midfielder Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro has won more tackles than the Liverpool man, although Frenchman has started two more games than Lucas.

Liverpool mixing it with the “best”

Rodgers had a miserable record at Liverpool’s biggest rivals during his three-and-a-half year spell in charge at Anfield. The Reds failed to win at Chelsea or City during the Northern Irishman’s tenure, so Klopp has already bettered Rodgers’s record in that regard. The manner of the performances has been encouraging with Liverpool showing the courage to stick to their own game plan at Stamford Bridge and The Etihad. The former Borussia Dortmund manager’s next task will be finding a winning formula at Anfield. The Reds have lost their aura on Merseyside after a string of home defeats over the past year, including a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace before the international break. Next up, Swansea City on 29 November.