Reds boss Klopp was furious that City captain Kompany escaped with only a yellow card from referee Anthony Taylor following his two-footed lunge on Salah in the first half at the Etihad Stadium.

Egypt forward Salah was able to play on after the foul, but Klopp insisted that was just luck because Kompany could have ended his season with the challenge.

The decision not to dismiss Kompany proved a crucial moment according to Klopp as City went on to snatch the points thanks to Leroy Sane’s late winner after Roberto Firmino had cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s opener.

“I really like Vincent Kompany but how on Earth is that not a red card? He is last man and he goes in,” Klopp said.

“If he hits Mo more he is out for the season.”

Unsurprisingly, Kompany disagreed with Klopp’s verdict and insisted he had made a firm but fair tackle.

“I thought it was a great challenge, was it not? I got the ball, a little bit of the man but it wasn’t naughty,” said Kompany, who was seen urging Salah to get up following the crunching tackle.

“I didn’t try to injure him. It was that or let him go through on goal.”

Klopp’s frustration at Kompany’s escape was exacerbated as Liverpool slumped to their first league defeat this season, ending a 20-match unbeaten run.

With the table-topping Reds hoping to win the English title for the first time since 1990, letting second placed City move back within four points of them was a significant blow.

Liverpool were rarely at their best and Klopp conceded the intensity of such a high-stakes game had affected his players.

“It was a big pressure. Very intense game. We were unlucky in our finishing moments. Unluckier than City I would say,” Klopp said.

“Sane scores and the situation with Sadio when he hit the post. They had periods where they dominated the game and everybody felt the intensity.

“Our expectations are high. We can play better. You have to take the game how it is. You can’t always dominate it.”

Klopp insisted Liverpool would bounce back from their first setback of what has been a dream season so far.

“I have already said to the boys this is OK. We lost it but it will happen. Tonight it is not nice but it is not the biggest problem,” he said.

City’s recent shock back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester had allowed Liverpool to amass a commanding lead in their quest to win a first title since 1990.

But the champions now trail Jurgen Klopp’s men by just four points thanks to Leroy Sane’s winner 18 minutes from time after Roberto Firmino had cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s first-half opener for the hosts.

“It was a final for us, because losing today it was almost over,” said Guardiola.

“We are four points behind them and they are the leaders. We have to fight a lot, but this gives us a lot of confidence.

“I am proud of them (the players), but not just today. We lost two games in four days but you can’t forget what they have done for 16 months.”

With no more league meetings between the sides to come, Liverpool’s destiny is still in their own hands, but they will now have the pressure of having a City side that romped to the title with a record 100 points last season on their tails.

“If somebody had told me after both games against Man City we would be 4 points up, I would have paid money,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

“We never won it as a team so we want to finish the season as strongly as possible and we are still in a pretty good position.”

City also had fortune on their side in a pulsating contest, particularly before the break.

Oly the finest of margins denied Liverpool the lead on 19 minutes when Sadio Mane burst onto Mohamed Salah’s pass and saw his shot come back off the inside of the post.

John Stones then smacked his panicked clearance into City goalkeeper Ederson but the England international redeemed himself by clearing just before all of the ball had crossed the line.

City were also handed a reprieve by referee Anthony Taylor when captain Vincent Kompany only saw a yellow card for a wild two-footed lunge on Salah.

“I really like Vincent Kompany but how on Earth is that not a red card?” Klopp added. “If he hits Mo more he is out for the season.”

At the other end Virgil van Dijk was again justifying his tag as the world’s most expensive defender to keep City’s array of attacking talent quiet with he Dutchman standing tall to block David Silva’s effort.

However, a Liverpool defence that had not conceded twice in the same game all season in the league before kick-off was breached when City managed to free Aguero from Van Dijk’s shackles.

The Argentine beat Dejan Lovren to Bernardo Silva’s cross before firing into the roof of the net to score for the seventh time in seven home league games against Liverpool.

Despite a combination of nerves and fatigue at the end of a gruelling festive period, the game swung from end to end in the second-half.

One Liverpool full-back picked out another as for the visitors’ equaliser when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross was met perfectly by Andy Robertson to square for Firmino to head into an empty net.

Guardiola had his head in his hands when a slack pass from Sane set Liverpool free on the counter-attack moments later, but within seconds the German showed what he is capable of as he latched on Sterling’s pass before firing in off the far post.

Alisson demonstrated why Liverpool spent a then world record £67 million for a goalkeeper in July to bolster their title chances with a brilliant save from Aguero as the Argentine tried to round him at the end of a blistering City counter-attack.

Seconds later it was the turn of his understudy in the Brazil side to make a huge save as Ederson denied Salah as tempers flared with Guardiola furious a free-kick wasn’t awarded City’s way before the Egyptian broke clear.

Sterling then wasted a great chance to ensure City didn’t have to see out a tense five minutes of stoppage time, but the hosts held out to put the title back up for grabs.

Milovan Rajevac’s side had a hiccup in their final warm-up fixture, losing 2-0 in a behind-closed-doors game at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium.

The result sparked a backlash from fans still reeling from the team’s dismal showing in last month’s AFF Suzuki Cup, when the two-time defending champions were bundled out in the semi-finals to Malaysia on away goals.

“We also hate losing,” said 29-year-old Sanrawat, who had the best assist stats (4 assists in 4 group stage appearances) in last month’s tournament. “But we have to understand that it’s not easy at this level of competition. “On the bright side, we’ve learned from the loss.”

The Bangkok United star said the Oman game showed there were still loopholes to fix in relation to the team’s cohesiveness.

“The teamwork should fall into place more,” added Sanrawat, who has 27 caps. “The game exposed some defects that we must minimise as much as possible in Sunday’s game. We are willing to work harder to get stronger by Sunday.”

Despite the defeat, the Samut Prakan-based player insisted the players’ fighting spirit never dimmed and he urges fans to refrain from posting negative remarks about the team online.

“If I could ask for a New Year’s gift, it would be the supportive words of  “susu” (fight) from the fans. I think these words are easier to type than offesnive words or remarks,” Sanrawat said.

“We will perform our best to prove that Thailand has potential like any other football nation.”

The Asian Cup kicks off tomorrow with the opener between the hosts UAE versus Bahrain in group A, while Thailand will launch their campaign with India, in the same group, at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (8.30pm Bangkok time).

Thailand’s next games, against Bahrain and UAE, are on January 10 and 14 respectively.

– Australia –

The Socceroos won the biggest title in their history at the last Asian Cup in 2015, where they edged South Korea after extra time to win a thrilling final in Sydney. It provided further vindication for their switch from Oceania to the Asian confederation in 2006, since when they have never failed to qualify for the World Cup. However, Australia’s star has dimmed in recent times, and after reaching Russia 2018 via the play-offs they exited without a win after scoring only twice in their three group games. New coach Graham Arnold must fill the void left by retired record scorer Tim Cahill, and get the goals flowing again, if the Socceroos are to keep the trophy in Australian hands.

– Iran –

Asia’s top-ranked team won credit at last year’s World Cup, where they were edged 1-0 by Spain and finished 1-1 against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, before exiting at the group stage. However, they will want to go home with more than just praise at the Asian Cup, a tournament where success has eluded them since their run of three straight titles ended in 1976. Ex-Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz, also a former assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has forged a formidable unit which was unbeaten in World Cup qualifying, strolling into the Asian Cup along the way. Last time around, Iran went out on penalties to arch-rivals Iraq in a pulsating quarter-final which featured four goals in extra-time and a contentious second yellow card for simulation to Iranian defender Mehrdad Pooladi. Similar fireworks can be expected when the two teams meet for their final Group D game on January 16.

– Japan –

Japan go into the Asian Cup chasing a record-extending fifth title and in a rich vein of form. The Blue Samurai are unbeaten in five games since Hajime Moriyasu replaced Akira Nishino as coach after their surprise run to the knockout stages of last year’s World Cup. But Japan embark on their Middle Eastern adventure without two players who epitomise their waspish energy — Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki. Both were omitted by Moriyasu, who looks to Red Bull Salzburg’s Takumi Minamino to provide the creative spark in Kagawa’s absence. Portimonense’s Shoya Nakajima and Groningen’s Ritsu Doan will add thrust as they try to avenge their 2015 Asian Cup flop when they crashed out in the quarter-finals. Southampton defender Maya Yoshida and Galatasaray full-back Yuto Nagatomo bring experience to Japan, who face Uzbekistan, Oman and Turkmenistan in Group F. Ranked 50th in the world, behind Iran (29) and Australia (41), anything less than the semi-finals would be seen as failure for Japan.

– Saudi Arabia –

The former giants of Asian football need to reverse a poor run of form as they look to return to the winners’ circle for the first time since the 1990s. Victories in 1984, 1988 and 1996 made the Saudis the continent’s premier side but despite reaching the 2000 and 2007 finals they have been unable to add to their tally. There wasn’t much to shout about at last year’s World Cup, when Saudi Arabia lost 5-0 to Russia in their opening game and never recovered. In the UAE, a short hop over the Saudi border, Juan Antonio Pizzi — the fourth coach in the Saudi hotseat since the 2015 Asian Cup — can expect an easier ride than in Russia as they open against North Korea on Tuesday. However, Saudi Arabia flopped at the last Asian Cup, going out at the group stage, and they are under pressure heading into this edition after winning only one of their six games since the World Cup.

– South Korea –

In Tottenham Hotspur flier Son Heung-min, South Korea boast Asia’s most exciting player and they will be regarded as narrow favourites to hoist the trophy on February 1. The Taeguk Warriors showed their quality when they stunned holders Germany at last year’s World Cup and they came within a whisker of winning their third Asian title in 2015, going down to James Troisi’s extra-time strike for hosts Australia in the final. Son will miss South Korea’s first two games, against the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan, owing to club commitments with Spurs. But with a wealth of talent including Newcastle’s Ki Sung-yueng and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, man of the match in the 2-0 win over Germany, South Korea should have at least one foot in the knock-out stages by then.

The winner of 23 Slam singles titles, Williams was made to work a little harder than expected by young Brit Katie Boulter in the United States’ final group tie, but prevailed in straight sets to make it three victories from as many outings.

However, the 37-year-old’s perfect singles record this week wasn’t enough to keep the USA in contention at what is expected to be the last Hopman Cup, where she has twice been a winner.

Williams and Frances Tiafoe were already eliminated after losing their opening two ties.

Watched by her daughter Alexis Olympia, Williams’ 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) win over the 97th-ranked Boulter followed victories over former top 10 player Belinda Bencic and Greece’s Maria Sakkari earlier in the week.

Currently ranked 16th, Williams needs just one more Grand Slam singles title to equal the record of Australian Margaret Court, but hasn’t won a major since the Australian Open in 2017.

She gave birth to her daughter in late 2017 and was beaten in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year.

It was at the latter that she had a major meltdown during her loss to Naomi Osaka.

With the Australian Open in Melbourne less than two weeks away, Williams dropped just one set in her singles matches, although at different times she seemed to be troubled by a right shoulder problem and had both ankles strapped.

Her form was patchy across the three matches, but Williams said the round robin format of the event was ideal preparation for Melbourne.

“It was definitely good to play three singles matches here, not to mention the mixed,” she said after her singles match.

Williams cruised through the first set against Boulter, but found a more competitive opponent in the second.

Not for the first time this week, the frustration of the American grew as Boulter was able to match her for winners, with the Brit claiming an early break in the second game.

Williams immediately broke back, but then enjoyed a slice of good fortune when her forehand dropped over the net on a Boulter break point in the fourth game.

The set remained on serve until the tie-break, which Williams dominated.

In the men’s singles, the struggling Tiafoe led 5-3 in the first set, but won just one more game in losing 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 to Cameron Norrie.

The Brits claimed the tie with victory in the mixed doubles.

The 25-year-old, who will be co-pilot for his father Jacques, will tackle the world’s most demanding rally: a 5,000 kilometer (3,000 mile), 10-day marathon, 70 percent of which will be raced over sand.

“Our aim is to finish the race and achieve our goal,” a beaming Barron told AFP.

“This race is brilliant for me. It will be easy because we know the route.”

Barron, who has been training for a year and a half alongside his father, will ride on one of 500 vehicles taking part in the race.

He will compete in the UTV category for off-road four-wheel drive buggies, a class that was added for the first time in 2017.

Born in Lima, Barron has always been a keen sportsman despite his disability, taking part in swimming, football, cycling, surfing and water-skiing.

He says he’s “ready and able to overcome the desert dunes.”

A fan of both rock and hip hop music, Barron says he will provide important mechanical assistance to his father.

“I’m going to help him look at the engine, the road and the tyres,” said Barron.

He is familiar with the Peruvian terrain that will host the entirety of the Dakar rally this year after Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia declined the opportunity due to austerity measures.

In September, he was co-pilot alongside his father in the Desafio Inca race that acted as preparation for the main event and took on the dunes of Ica, in the south of Peru.

The “Barron x 2” team finished seventh.

– No fear –

While Down Syndrome can cause lifelong intellectual disability and development delays, those with the condition can still lead fulfilling lives.

Jacques Barron, a 55-year-old engineer, told AFP that Dakar organizers had no problem with his son taking part.

The requirements were the same as for any other competitor: passing all the medical exams and supplying the necessary documentation.

“Lucas already has the International Automobile Federation licence to participate in the Dakar,” Barron told AFP.

He said his son is afraid of nothing and knows what to do if there is a problem.

“He knows how to look at the temperature of the belt, the oil and tyre pressure,” said Barron, who has competed in the Dakar five times.

“Lucas’s eyes will be the cars’ eyes to avoid crashing into another car or any object.

“People with Down Syndrome can develop certain abilities: Lucas can play any sport.”

The Dakar will be run from January 6-17, starting in Peru’s capital Lima and traversing the southern regions of Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and down to Tacna on the border with Chile.

The longest, and toughest stage will cover 370 kilometers from Arequipa to Tacna on January 10.

The Barron team’s main aim is simply to finish the race.

Lucas Barron has the support of one of his idols, five-time motorbike winner Cyril Despres of France, a friend of his father’s.

“Despres wrote to me on Facebook congratulating me,” he said, adding that the Frenchman gave him a signed shirt in 2017 — a treasured possession.

Guardiola’s City side have been unable to keep pace with unbeaten Liverpool despite their own blistering start and sit in third place, seven points behind Jurgen Klopp’s outfit ahead of their crunch meeting at the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool have dropped just six points so far this season and come into the match on a nine-match winning streak in the league, but Guardiola is confident they will make mistakes amid a heavy domestic and European schedule.

“We are there, still with a lot of games to go and I think everyone will lose points this season, even Liverpool, because there are a lot of competitions,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“They have been incredible … scoring four or five goals in every game. They are solid behind and in front.”

Guardiola feels his own team deserve credit for amassing 47 points in 20 league matches and is certain they will get opportunities to apply pressure on Liverpool after Thursday’s match.

“We have dropped off sometimes but that is normal. During the season, sometimes you forget what you have to do,” added Guardiola.

“You have to remember those things, and come back, and we have done it exceptionally well.”

– Liverpool motivation –

Liverpool have not won the English league since 1990, two years before the creation of the Premier League, and Guardiola believes that will be significant motivation for Jurgen Klopp’s side, similar to what drove his own side to win last season’s title with a record 100 points.

“My feeling is last season it was a little bit easier to maintain that hunger because 80 percent of the players had not won anything in their lives.

“So I can feel what they feel, the Liverpool players. After 29 years not winning the title, to be there to win the Premier League, I understand it.”

Guardiola also claimed that Liverpool’s illustrious history, which includes 18 English league titles and has seen them crowned champions of Europe five times, will push Klopp’s squad to match those achievements.

“When I was a little boy, I looked at the Premier League from Catalonia, from outside, and it was always two or three teams, and Manchester City were not there,” he said.

“In the past decade our club has been incredible. Every time here in the past six or seven years, we have qualified for the Champions League.

“History is not 10 years, it’s much more, it’s longer, Anfield is Anfield, Old Trafford is Old Trafford, and the history is there and the Champions League titles are there. The players, when they put the shirt on, they know what they have to defend.

“Maybe in the next decade, the players will feel it when they come here. Our target is there now. It’s to go higher and then higher than that — and that is what I want to maintain.”

The United interim manager, in charge until the end of the season when he is scheduled to return to his Norwegian club Molde, has now won his first four games in charge.

In United’s history, only the legendary and iconic Busby has matched that achievement and Solskjaer celebrated enthusiastically with his club’s travelling supporters after goals from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford secured the win.

“I don’t want to (leave),” said Solskjaer when asked about his future beyond this season.

“It is such a great bunch of players, a fantastic atmosphere. But it is the next game, the next game and I am doing my job for as long as I am here.”

United will now move on to much tougher challenges, starting with the Premier League visit to Tottenham a week on Sunday.

But, given the manner of Wednesday’s victory, Solskjaer has the look of a manager at the top of his game after his decision to throw on Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, two of the biggest under-achievers under former manager Jose Mourinho, after 63 minutes.

Instantly, Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka fumbled a 25-yard Rashford free-kick and Lukaku, with his first touch of the game, tapped the rebound home from five yards.

The game hung in the balance until the 79th minute when Newcastle, pushing upfield for an equaliser, were caught on the counter-attack.

Lukaku found Sanchez whose astute pass reached Rashford in space and the England forward showed great poise to curl the ball past Dubravka.

“It was a tough test,” said Solskjaer of Rashford’s performance.

– ‘He will be top number 9’ –

“He gets kicked, and he gets tackled, he goes for headers, he wins, he challenges, he runs

“He is going to be a top, top number nine, definitely but then we’ve got Rom (Lukaku), so sometimes he’ll play on the right, sometimes on the left, sometimes through the middle. He’ll get enough games.

“But I felt it was time to put Rom and Alexis on and, of course, it was a great shot by Marcus and Romelu does his job as a striker to be following in on the rebound. If you do that you’ll get five or six goals every season for free, really.”

United’s victory could have been even more emphatic after Paul Pogba raced clear in injury-time and rounded the keeper only to roll the ball into the side-netting.

But that hardly mattered on an evening when Solskjaer pulled to within one victory of the record five that Busby won in his first season in charge of the club in 1946-47.

“That will be in the books but it’s nothing I’m thinking of,” said Solskjaer of his record-equalling fourth win.

“I’m just thinking about the next game, because if you win four you can win another four with this club, that’s the challenge, that’s the standard we’re used to.”

“The ‘gaffer’ (Alex Ferguson) used to challenge us on them and when we’ve won four you can go onto the next four and think about them.”

The only slight concern for Solskjaer was an injury suffered by Pogba who was caught by an appalling late foul by Newcastle substitute Jonjo Shelvey which went unpunished by referee Andre Marriner.

There were also some anxious first half moments for Solskjaer thanks to some moments of poor defending although United eventually emerged with just their third clean sheet of the season and the first under their interim boss.

The Milovan Rajevac’s side, despite having three main players including Teerasil Dangda and Chanathip Songkrasin, conceded the first goal in the 13^th minute to Ahmed Kano and the second in the 77^th minute to Mohsin Al Ghasani.

The defeat will cause physological damage to the Kingdom’s team which returned to the Cup Finals for the first time in 12 years.

Thailand aims at reaching the round of 16. They will play their opening game with India in Group A on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Korrakot filled in at left-back for the AFF Suzuki Cup last month while Theerathon was busy playing for Vissel Kobe in the J-League.

However, the vice-captain is back to resume his duty in the continental event so Korrakot will probably have to settle for a place on the bench.

“I look at this as being positive for the team,” said the Buriram United player, who has 10 caps. “The coach [Milovan Rajevac] has more options at left back.”

Korrakot also views that Theerathon is a valuable asset for the team due to his versatility.

“Theerathon is a talented player. And tactically he is very useful as he can play midfield as well,” added Korrakot who has often played alongside Theerathon during training sessions in Abu Dhabi.

“So he has my support … or it would be even better if we could play together.”

Thailand have three more days to prepare for their first Group A game against India on Sunday.

“The training has been focusing more on tactics,” said Korrakot. “We are practising both defence and attack, trying to work together as a teamwork. I believe we will be 100 per cent by the first game.”

Meanwhile Thai FA chief Somyot Poompanmoung insisted that his staff provide best convenience for the team so that they are fresh and fully ready for the Cup.

“Our main concern is the players and coaching team must eat and sleep well. We make sure that they spend as less time as possible to travel between the hotel and the pitch as they need enough rest,” Somyot said.

He also expressed his gratitude for Viphawan Benniman, Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Thailand in the UAE, for the hospitality they have provided during their stay in the UAE.