All hail the new Fab Four

This was only the second time Jurgen Klopp has used Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota all in the same Liverpool starting XI.

His previous experimentation against Sheffield United had mixed results but for at least the opening half hour against Manchester City, it paid dividends.

Pep Guardiola’s side were ferociously attacked in a no holds barred 4-2-4 setup with Salah and Mane operating as the visitors’ dynamic central pairing.

Despite not adding to his six goals in four prior games, Jota was electric while Mane won an early penalty that allowed the Egyptian to break the deadlock.

Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum’s discipline in midfield gave the quartet license to counter at will while blocking City’s supply line to Kevin de Bruyne.

It may have only lasted until Firmino was withdrawn on 58 minutes but there was much to encourage Klopp that front-loading is the best form of defence.

Vital for Gomez to have continuity

Without Virgil van Dijk for the foreseeable future, Joe Gomez has had four different centre-back partners in his last six Liverpool appearances.

Although the 23-year-old’s handball for City’s penalty was purely accidental, he still appeared a player who needs to be led rather than leading himself.

That’s understandable given his relative inexperience, but the Reds still looked shaky at times despite having a more senior Joel Matip alongside him.

Perhaps Gomez’s best remedy is an extended run with Matip, in the hope that it will breed the same continuity that he and Van Dijk discovered last term.

Injuries have largely forced Klopp’s hand in this regard with Matip himself making only his third competitive appearance of the current campaign.

But with so much chopping and changing, maybe it should be less surprising that only West Brom and Leeds have let in more goals than Liverpool’s 16.

TAA injury threatens more headaches

Another defensive conundrum may confront Klopp after Trent Alexander-Arnold was substituted midway through the second half with a calf issue.

The homegrown defender’s phenomenal delivery has made him irreplaceable to Liverpool’s style of play in tandem with fellow full-back Andy Robertson.

But should Alexander-Arnold now face a spell on the sidelines, there doesn’t appear to be an obvious replacement for Klopp to turn to in his absence.

His direct replacement James Milner will always do as he is asked with no fuss but, at 34, cannot replicate Alexander-Arnold’s game in an unnatural position.

The only other real option may be Neco Williams, who showed great promise in his brief cameo appearances and is already a senior Wales international.

But at 19, Williams should be treated with the same caution Klopp showed Alexander-Arnold when he first broke into Liverpool’s first-team ranks.

Too much can’t be expected of him too soon.

Honesty isn’t the best policy

The debate about contentious penalty rulings is not going away and the Etihad Stadium witnessed a classic case of the haves and have-nots.

Early in the first half, with the game still goalless, Raheem Sterling engineered a City attack only to be impeded by Jota but elected to stay on his feet.

Less than a minute later, a carbon copy at the other end saw Mane choosing to make the most of Kyle Walker’s admittedly clumsy attempt at a challenge.

Sterling’s honesty was effectively punished by conceding possession while Mane reaped the reward of winning a penalty which Salah duly converted.

Tempting as it might be to applaud the ex-Liverpool winger’s integrity in this scenario, Mane’s ability to be streetwise should really be commended.

Being nice gets you nowhere in football, after all.