Amid the Anfield euphoria of erasing Manchester City’s aura of invincibility, there is one regret for Liverpool.

A massive 15-point gap remains to Pep Guardiola’s side, a combination of City’s freakish consistency and Liverpool’s occasional wastefulness ensuring the leaders’ defeat can be recognised as the mildest of setbacks.

Should Sunday’s thrilling 4-3 victory prove the catalyst for Jurgen Klopp’s side securing the runners-up spot, the satisfaction with another season of significant Anfield progress will be balanced with frustration the most subtle of improvements in the Premier League could have made it better. No-one could have stopped City this season, but the Anfield meeting proved a gulf in points does not reflect a gulf in class.

Liverpool have lost just two Premier League fixtures so far in this campaign, but midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum admits such obvious development is not enough. It is Liverpool’s eight draws from 23 games – five of those draws in games Liverpool were ahead – that have been costly.

“In my opinion that is the difference. That’s the reality and you have to accept it,” said Wijnaldum. “They [City] did it much better in some games. There were some games difficult for them but they still scored and killed the game. That is something we didn’t do. Even today [Sunday] we still give them a chance to come back. That is the biggest thing we have to change if we want to compete with teams like City.