Yaya Toure has challenged Manchester City to put a smile back on Pep Guardiola's face with a dominant display in Friday's FA Cup third-round clash at West Ham.

A draw at Sunderland was not the end of the world for Liverpool as they attempt to chase down Chelsea for the Premier League title with key fixtures in January against Manchester City and the leaders on the horizon, according to defender Dejan Lovren.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged his team face a battle just to secure a top-four Premier League finish following their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool.

Georginio Wijnaldum's early header earned Liverpool a 1-0 New Year's Eve victory over Manchester City that left Pep Guardiola's men 10 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

A fine finish by Roberto Firmino helped Liverpool to come roaring back from behind and beat Stoke City 4-1 as they reclaimed second place in the Premier League table on Tuesday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes a little more luck on the injury front is all that is separating his team from Premier League leaders Chelsea as the Reds prepare to face Stoke City on Tuesday.

Jordan Henderson is pleased with Liverpool's new-found defensive resilience after their castigated back-line kept clean sheets in the recent Premier League victories over Middlesbrough and local rivals Everton.

Liverpool have the strength in depth to cope with Sadio Mane's absence during next month's African Nations Cup, the Senegal striker has said.

Jurgen Klopp finally had a reason to celebrate Christmas after Sadio Mane's dramatic 94th-minute goal saw his side move second in the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory in the Merseyside derby at Everton on Monday.

A goal in time added on by Senegal international Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over city rivals Everton and saw them move into second spot in the Premier League on Monday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp bemoaned his side's defending and lack of composure after they fell behind in the Premier League title race with a 2-2 draw at home to struggling West Ham.

The word derby bears special significance on a sporting field. The Manchester derby, the Milan derby, the Madrid derby and many other sporting clashes have been cherished across the football world for ages.

African stars Yaya Toure of Manchester City, Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City and Sadio Mane of Liverpool suffered English Premier League misery at the weekend.

Manchester City lost their cool in a damaging defeat against title rivals Chelsea, Liverpool surrendered ground on the leaders after an incredible collapse at Bournemouth, while Alexis Sanchez kept Arsenal firmly in the hunt.

Chelsea forward Eden Hazard expects Manchester City and Liverpool to be the London side's main rivals in the Premier League title race after the top three sides all enjoyed victories on the weekend.

Jurgen Klopp praised Liverpool's performance in the goalless draw against Southampton even though the Reds missed the chance to cement their position on top of the Premier League.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is not bothered about what others think of the club and says what the team think of themselves is the only opinion that matters.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has tipped the Merseyside club's fierce rivals Liverpool to be among the sides fighting for the Premier League title this season.

Juergen Klopp is eager not to let Liverpool's trophy-laden past burden his squad with the manger instead urging his players to write their own chapters in the Merseyside club's history books.

The Major League Soccer careers of Didier Drogba and Steven Gerrard could end without either man kicking another ball as their teams head into nerve-wracking sudden-death playoff games starting Wednesday.