LONDON: Only once in the past 10 years has the club not top of the table at Christmas risen to win the Premier League title. Liverpool, be warned: that club were Manchester City who rose from third place at Christmas 2013 to win the 2014 title by two points from the Reds.

But this is the fourth time in 12 years that Liverpool have celebrated Christmas looking down at the rest of the table. They were toppled from their proud perch in 1996-97 and 2008-09 as well as 2013-14. So their fans will take nothing for granted and neither will manager Jurgen Klopp despite the a four-point gap having opened up at the weekend.

On Friday night Liverpool won 2-0 at promoted Wolves and would have been surprised and delighted when City lost 3-1 at home to struggling Crystal Palace 24 hours later.

The champions lost at home in the league for only the second time in 41 games despite taking the lead through Ilkay Gundogan. The expected landslide of goals failed to materialise as Jeffrey Schlupp equalised before Andros Townsend thumped perhaps the goal of the season two minutes later.

Luka Milivojevic extended Palace’s lead from a 51st-minute penalty and City managed only a late goal from substitute Kevin De Bruyne to remain four points adrift of Liverpool heading into a busy holiday programme climaxed by the clubs’ clash in Manchester on January 3.

City were missing injured David Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Fernandinho but it was put to Guardiola after the match that this was no excuse for a club with their money and squad depth. Now they have lost two of their last three league games.

He said: “When we win, I am a genius, when we lose, my selection is not good. You just have to improve and these kind of situations won’t happen in the future.

“We cannot concede the penalty we conceded. We had just made some changes and decided to play with two strikers to try to get back in the game, then straight away we give away a penalty and a third goal. We created enough chances to win the game, in the first half especially.”

The holiday schedule appears kinder to Liverpool than to City. Klopp’s men are home to Newcastle on Boxing Day and then home again to Arsenal three days later. The momentum which has brought seven successive victories at home and away should see them win both games.

City, by contrast, face awkward visits to Leicester and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton. Even if they win both and Liverpool win their two games then City will still be unable to pull level with Klopp & Co by winning on January 3.

Last season City won the title with a record 100 points. Klopp believes even that may not be enough this time.

Liverpool beat Wolves with Mohamed Salah’s 11th Premier League goal of the season and Virgil van Dijk’s first for the club since he scored on his debut against Everton. They have 48 points from 18 matches and remain unbeaten which, for Klopp, is “exceptional”.

But he added: “Forty-eight points before Christmas, it’s just crazy, but there are other teams there as well. At the end of season you need 105 points to be champion. It could be. We cannot start a party.”

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