Premier League 2018-19: Reaction more important than result for Liverpool 

Liverpool finally suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season in a thriller against current champions Manchester City. The 2-1 result means that City are back up to second but Liverpool still hold a slender four-point lead over their Mancunian rivals and that leaves the title race still in their hands, albeit not as firmly as it previously was.

Many will recall the scintillating run that Manchester City endured at this point last season, with the football they played at times being a class above every team they came across until they arrived at Anfield. Heading into that fixture against Liverpool on January 14th, City were unbeaten in 22 Premier League games, a similar position to which Liverpool found themselves in when arriving at the Etihad, unbeaten in 20 Premier League games.

Liverpool made Man City look vulnerable and most importantly beatable that day at Anfield and despite a 12-point lead, their first defeat of the season proposed questions that had not been asked of Pep Guardiola's side all season.

After that defeat, Man City could have easily crumbled. Self-doubt may have kicked in or teams might have discovered how to beat them. However, their response to that shock defeat is what defines the difference between the champions and the challengers.

City responded in impeccable fashion losing just one more Premier League game in the entire season, the Manchester Derby, whilst also enjoying yet another lengthy unbeaten run immediately after both defeats. Astonishingly, Man City collected a total of 38 points out of a possible 45 following their defeat at Anfield.

It was clear early on in the 2017/18 season that Manchester City were destined to be champions, but they still had to see it out and even when they were faced with rare defeats they responded in the best way possible.

The Reds find themselves in a similar situation as they too have been playing some fine stuff, whilst also having the grit to grind out the trickier games. Jurgen Klopp has even earned the plaudits of Gary Neville who after Manchester United's 3-1 defeat at Anfield suggested that Liverpool have learned how to win in different ways.

It is clear that the foundations of a really good side are their, 54 points at this stage of the season with only ten goals conceded is remarkable; but now Liverpool are faced with the same questions Manchester City were 12 months ago. Are they good enough? Can they see it out? How will they respond?

If Liverpool are to end their 28-year wait for a League title then it is evident that they are going to need a similar response to the one that City provided 12 months ago. The Reds know all too well that a four-point lead is nothing in the Premier League, having held a similar advantage (3 points) over City in the 13/14 season with just three games to go and still managing to fall at the final hurdle.

With City having already lost three games this season, one more than the entirety of last season, it would appear unlikely that Man City will slip up much more this season. As a result, the pressure is entirely on Liverpool to match the impressive standards set by Manchester City.

Nevertheless, even matching Man City's impressive response to their first defeat last season may not be enough for Liverpool. If City were to win all of their remaining games, dropping seven points is something Liverpool simply cannot afford to do.

Liverpool face a tricky trip to Wolves next in the FA Cup followed by a more generous run of fixtures in the Premier League with the average position of their next five opponents being 11th.

Liverpool may have lost their first Premier League game of the season, but it will be their response in the upcoming weeks that will determine whether or not this Liverpool side can make their own history.