Sunday’s comfortable victory at Manchester City will surely be seen as decisive in the race for the Premier League title

Alexis Mac Allister’s face was a picture and it told part of the story. It was an hour or so after the whistle had blown on Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday and the war wounds were visible, the signs of sacrifice.

There were shades of yellow and green on Mac Allister’s left eyelid, angry red above that – just beneath the eyebrow; more red around the cheekbone. The damage was done in the 30th minute when the Liverpool midfielder flung himself into a sliding challenge on Omar Marmoush.