While he thought it far too soon to speculate on what it might mean for Liverpool’s title hopes, Jurgen Klopp argued that the 1-0 win over Manchester City had proved his side’s defensive credentials.

The biggest criticism of Liverpool under Klopp has been a weakness at the back. The New Year’s Eve win that kept Liverpool six points behind Chelsea was, however, Liverpool’s sixth clean sheet in their last nine games. It was achieved against what by some distance was the most demanding attack.

“I know there is some criticism of their defending but Manchester City play some of the best football in the world, you have to defend against it - and we did,” said Klopp.

The Liverpool manager remarked that it would be “annoying” for Chelsea to have won 13 games in a row and still see one club in touching distance of them.

Liverpool can close the gap on Antonio Conte’s side to three points should they win at Sunderland on Monday and the odds must be in their favour – starting in 1977 Sunderland have changed divisions in every year that ends in seven.

Liverpool are, however, likely to be without their Wearside-born captain, Jordan Henderson, who limped off with a heel injury against City.

Klopp said that when winning his two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund it had only been relatively late in the season that he began thinking of how they might do it.

January was far too early for that kind of debate but Klopp pointed out that Liverpool had proved a point on New Year’s Eve, not by merely keeping Manchester City at bay but by going out and winning.

“You could see the pressure here not because we didn’t want to lose the game but because we wanted to win it,” said Klopp. “That is real pressure against a very good side.”

Liverpool managers like Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish – but not Brendan Rodgers – developed a reputation for never speculating about how a season might end. As he summed up the significance of the win over Manchester City, Klopp showed himself to be more like the Liverpool managers of old.

Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings <b>Liverpool:</b> Alisson: 6 out of 10 Not his busiest afternoon. Looked uncomfortable in possession a couple of times but nothing egregious. REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Joe Gomez: 6 out of 10 More of a centre-back than a right-back and Liverpool missed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ability to get forward on the right. Defensively solid, as you would expect. EPA Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Dejan Lovren: 8 out of 10 Perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty on Aguero in the first half, and on Jesus in the second, but otherwise a good performance with some crucial challenges. Rewarded his manager’s bold call to bring the Croatian in. REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Virgil van Djik: 7 out of 10 Probably a leading contender for man of the match until his late transgression. A fairly needless challenge on Sane with the German likely running the ball out of play. Otherwise magnificent (again). REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Andrew Robertson: 6 out of 10 Kept Riyad Mahrez virtually silent throughout the game, but wasn’t his usual self in terms of attacking threat. REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum: 6 out of 10 Hard work as ever from the Dutchman. Unable to impact the game going forward. REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Jordan Henderson: 7 out of 10 Lead from the front with a battling performance in midfield. Composed on the ball and tackled excellently. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings James Milner: 6 out of 10 Substituted in the first half with a hamstring injury. Impressed early on, and Liverpool perhaps missed his experience and delivery when he went off. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Mohamed Salah: 5 out of 10 Still doesn't look himself. Wasted a couple of opportunities and the front-three’s lack of cohesion will be a concern for Jurgen Klopp. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Roberto Firmino: 6 out of 10 Pressed superbly and tracked back notably well. Not a vintage performance from any of Liverpool’s star offensive trio against a tough Manchester City defence. PA Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Sadio Mane: 6 out of 10 See Salah and Firmino. Mane was similarly ineffective getting forward but worked hard. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings <b>Substitute:</b> Naby Keita: 6 out of 10 Tidy performance after coming off the bench in the first half. Positionally very solid. REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings <b>Manchester City:</b> Ederson: 6 out of 10 No major errors, which is a positive given what happened last season. Liverpool’s press worried him early on but otherwise comfortable with the ball at this feet. No real saves to make. PA Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Kyle Walker: 6 out of 10 Restricted going forward aside from one moment where he bizarrely chopped back inside. Defensively solid. EPA Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings John Stones: 7 out of 10 Overcame early nerves to perform well alongside Laporte. Salah only really got beyond the pair once and Stones used the ball nicely when stepping out of defence. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Aymeric Laporte: 8 out of 10 Perhaps his best performance in a Manchester City shirt. Virtually faultless after the aforementioned early shakiness. Several superb challenges and interceptions. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Benjamin Mendy: 7 out of 10 Guardiola will be very pleased to have Mendy fit again. Showed his defensive steel, not giving Salah and co. an inch. Looked one of Manchester City’s more dangerous players when he got forward. A couple of poor passes but otherwise a strong return to action. Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Fernandinho: 6 out of 10 Somehow escaped the game without a yellow card despite several booking-worthy challenges, but broke up play well and sparked several attacks for his team. Shielded his defence well. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Bernardo Silva: 7 out of 10 Probably the best non-defender on the pitch. Playing in what was, for all intents and purposes, a two-man defensive midfield pairing, Silva was excellent, breaking up play and playing clever little passes. Showed his electric dribbling ability more than once, too. Impressive performance from a man who continues to show his versatility. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings David Silva: 6 out of 10 An intriguing tactical switch from Guardiola to deploy David Silva in a different role just in behind Sergio Aguero. Silva was less influential than he typically is, but worried the Liverpool midfield and knocked them off rhythm. REUTERS Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Raheem Sterling: 5 out of 10 Quiet and struggled to make an impact in the final third. Sterling didn’t look entirely comfortable on the left wing. Substituted with 15 minutes to go. PA Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Riyad Mahrez: 4 out of 10 Awful, awful penalty miss, and in truth it characterised a lacklustre showing from Mahrez. He hasn’t really found his place in this Manchester City team and used the ball poorly in the final third throughout. AFP/Getty Images Liverpool vs Manchester City player ratings Sergio Aguero: 5 out of 10 Continued his lean run against Liverpool and was anonymous for most of the 65-or-so minutes he was on the pitch. Contributed little. AFP/Getty Images

“I have had much more difficult situations in my life than being second in a difficult league,” he said. “We are happy about our way of playing but we can have no influence over what the rest are doing until we play them.