The universe had decided that Liverpool would be the opponents on Pep Guardiola’s landmark day, he had said. And for the manager who changed the footballing world, there may have been no more gratifying way to enter the 1,000 club. It was a grand day for Guardiola, in every sense.

Guardiola’s first 999 games had contained victories over many a manager but not Arne Slot. The Dutchman had a done a double over the Catalan and taken his Premier League title. A third meeting was chastening for a coach influenced and inspired by his Manchester City counterpart. This became one of Guardiola’s most emphatic wins in an enduring duel. “The players and staff give me an incredible present with the most important opponent we play in my 10 years here,” he said. “It was a special night with my kids here.”

But it was a wretched afternoon for Slot. It equalled his heaviest defeat as Liverpool manager; they have both come in the last four matches. This was a seventh defeat in 10 games, a fifth in the Premier League. The numbers do not paint a pretty picture.

If Liverpool could feel themselves luckless in the first half, they could not simply chalk this down to decisions and deflections. “I would like to emphasise that being 2-0 down at half-time was a fair reflection of how the game went,” said Slot. The conquerors of Real Madrid were second best at the Etihad. There was a purposeful, forceful feel to City, who claimed a 3-0 win.

Fans celebrated Pep Guardiola before kick-off (Richard Jolly/The Independent)

“I said to the players, ‘don’t do it because yesterday Arsenal didn’t win,’” Guardiola recalled. “Do it because we believe in ourselves that we can play against the champions of England and show them we are ready to be there with them all season.” Now City are four points ahead of Liverpool, only four behind Arsenal. They look the challengers in the title race, both in terms of the table and the general impression from their start to the season.

They appeared men on a mission, who would not be deterred by the small matter of a spurned spot kick at 0-0. Missed penalties against Liverpool have been an oddly regular recurrence in Guardiola’s reign. The latest means Erling Haaland has to wait a little longer for his own milestone – he instead scored a mere one, and has 99 Premier League goals – but it did not matter.

Haaland duly scored anyway. Nico Gonzalez, the Rodri replacement, ensured the Ballon d’Or winner was not missed. Jeremy Doku capped an electric display with a superlative goal, a tracer bullet into the corner of Giorgi Mamardashvili’s net. Conor Bradley had subdued Vinicius Junior in midweek but was tormented by Doku. And that, perhaps, was Liverpool in microcosm. They could repeat neither their heroics against Real nor their February excellence at the Etihad. Giorgi Mamardashvili may cherish memories of his penalty save from Haaland but few others in the champions’ camp had much to enjoy.

Nico Gonzalez celebrates after scoring City’s second goal (Action Images via Reuters)

Jeremy Doku was sensational and capped his performance with a goal (Getty Images)

If Slot had looked to pack the middle of the pitch to halt City, he argued Guardiola’s side still had extra men there. Yet it also afforded more room on the flanks for Doku. In any case, Haaland’s height offers another dimension if City want to bypass their preferred central areas. A cross brought the breakthrough when Matheus Nunes’ ball flicked off Ibrahima Konate and then looped in off Haaland’s head; even without knowing much about it, he could find the corner of the net.

City doubled their lead when Gonzalez’s drive was deflected in off Virgil van Dijk’s heel; Liverpool had scored against Aston Villa a week earlier when a shot from their midfielder, Ryan Gravenberch, from a similar distance had taken a sizeable touch off an opposition centre-back. This may have been a sign that luck evens itself out, and quickly at times.

Not that fortune was required for City’s third, the jinking Doku, whistling a shot beyond Mamardashvili. Guardiola deflected the praise for the solo artist. “Do you think I teach him how to dribble openings? This is natural talent,” he said.

Doku was a constant scourge of Liverpool. The drama began when Mamardashvili caught the winger with his knee. A VAR review resulted in a penalty, and perhaps a generous one. The giant Georgian dived to his left to repel it in a redemptive moment. That the initial fault lay with Konate, who had given the ball away, was a sign Liverpool could be slipshod.

They were concerned with the officials’ choices as well as their own. Van Dijk had what looked a terrific headed equaliser disallowed with Andy Robertson offside, though neither trying to play the ball nor in Gianluigi Donnarumma’s line of vision. He was “deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper,” according to Premier League, though that action was to duck to avoid the ball. It came down to Michael Oliver, the VAR, rather than referee Chris Kavanagh.

Virgil van Dijk gestures towards the referee, Chris Kavanagh (Getty Images)

Slot was not happy. “One-one would have been the biggest gift we could [get] at half-time,” he said. “But it is obvious and clear that the wrong decision has been made. He didn’t interfere at all with what the goalkeeper could do.”

Liverpool’s problem was they didn’t interfere with Donnarumma enough otherwise. They had only one shot on target that counted, with the Italian denying Dominik Szoboszlai. Even when Mohamed Salah sprang the offside trap, he flicked a shot wide. But Salah was subdued by a rookie of a left-back. “Nico O’Reilly was amazing,” said Guardiola.

And the identity of his victims made it a still better day for him. He cut a sentimental figure, hugging Andy Robertson at the final whistle. “It has been nice playing against them and seeing Virgil and Roberson and Mohamed Salah, who have been in a thousand million battles, and hopefully will be more and more,” he said.

So Guardiola, the manager who has won more and more, goes on, his chances of a seventh Premier League title enhanced as the champions’ defence of their crown is all but over. Slot accepted: “The last thing I should think about now is the title race.”