Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he did not expect Liverpool fans to hear cries of “sacked in the morning” during his team’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield.

Liverpool won the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, with City being the second best team throughout.

The result means City are winless in their last seven games and have lost six of them.

After Salah gave Liverpool a 2-0 lead in the 78th minute, Liverpool fans chanted “sacked in the morning”. Guardiola then responded by turning around and holding up six fingers, seemingly equal to the number of Premier League titles he won at City. The chants and Guardiola’s reaction were repeated at the end of the game.

“Maybe they are right, maybe we have to be sacked because of our results,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.

“I didn’t expect it at Anfield. They didn’t do it at 0:1, but at 2:0. Maybe they should have done it sooner, sang the song sooner, not now, now it’s taking advantage of it!

“I didn’t expect that from the people in Liverpool. But it’s okay, it’s part of the game, I completely understand it and accept it. We have fought incredible battles together – they win, we win. And I have respect (for them). And that’s it.”

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Liverpool were the stronger of the two teams at the start of the game and their initial pressure was rewarded in the 12th minute when Salah Gakpo set up the opener.

The hosts continued their pressure for most of the first half, with City coming into the game more and more towards the end of the half-time break.

Salah missed a good chance to extend Liverpool’s lead in the 56th minute when he shot over the goal one-on-one with City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who was in the starting line-up ahead of Ederson.

Ortega then brought down Diaz in the penalty area 20 minutes later and Salah converted the penalty to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead.

Liverpool are nine points clear at the top of the league heading into their return to action against Newcastle United on Wednesday.

City host Nottingham Forest in their next game on Wednesday.

(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)