Manchester City have fallen to their first Premier League defeat of the season at the hands of Liverpool, who ran out 4-3 winners in a thrilling contest at Anfield this afternoon.

The hosts took the lead after just nine minutes as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's early strike set the tempo for an enthralling top-four clash, but City went into the break all square courtesy of Leroy Sane's equaliser.

A spell of three goals in just eight minutes from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah put Jurgen Klopp's side in complete control of the match, although even then the result did not look safe with City keen to press forward at every available opportunity and Liverpool in no mood to sit back.

The Reds were almost made to pay for their gung-ho attitude when Bernardo Silva pulled one back in the 84th minute and Ilkay Gundogan set up a grandstand finale in stoppage time, but they held out for all three points to climb up to third in the Premier League table and end City's dreams of invincibility in the process.

Liverpool were without new £75m man Virgil van Dijk due to a hamstring injury, but they were able to welcome top-scorer Salah back into the starting lineup following a spell of his own on the sidelines.

It was Oxlade-Chamberlain who opened the scoring after only nine minutes, though, collecting a loose ball inside the Man City half before driving forward and drilling a crisp low strike past Ederson from 25 yards.

Both sides continued to play at a high tempo and intensity, but it was Liverpool who were creating the brighter openings and Salah threatened a second after 15 minutes when he poked wide of the near post having bundled through the challenge of Nicolas Otamendi.

Man City's first real threat came in the 20th minute when Kevin De Bruyne played a teasing low ball into the box which was just too far in front of Sergio Aguero, although the Argentine appeared to be in an offside position.

De Bruyne was enjoying a growing influence on the game as the first half wore on and he combined with Raheem Sterling to set up Sane for a shooting opportunity shortly afterwards, only for the German's deflected drive to drop wide of the target with Loris Karius wrong-footed.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was proving every bit as influential for Liverpool in the opening 45 minutes too, and he beat two Man City defenders on the right before swinging a cross into the box which Firmino could only flick wide of the near post.

De Bruyne then drilled a low shot from range towards goal which Karius needed to keep out before Salah tested Ederson for the first time, curling an ambitious effort towards goal which the Man City keeper was able to collect.

The visitors levelled things up out of nothing with only four minutes remaining of the first half when Joe Gomez misjudged a crossfield pass from Kyle Walker which was expertly taken down by Sane. The German winger then cut inside before turning back onto his left foot and firing a powerful effort past Karius, who should have done better at his near post.

City had a chance to take a lead into half time too when Fernandinho found himself in space within shooting distance, only to drag his effort well wide of the target.

The second half began at a similarly high tempo and City were close to going ahead just six minutes after the restart when Otamendi met a corner with a thumping header that crashed against the crossbar with Karius rooted to the spot.

Liverpool hit back with a couple of chances of their own five minutes later when Ederson flapped at a corner before recovering to deny Salah's follow-up effort and then getting down smartly to turn a low Oxlade-Chamberlain drive round the near post seconds afterwards.

Ederson again came for the resulting corner without getting a commanding touch on the ball, although he was once again back in position to tip another Salah follow-up effort over the crossbar.

Liverpool did regain their lead on the hour mark, though, as Firmino shrugged off the challenge of John Stones to win possession inside the Man City box before lifting an exquisite finish over Ederson and into the far corner.

The goal injected even more verve into the vibrant Liverpool attack, and just a minute later Mane came within inches of making it 3-1 with a curling effort from the edge of the box which clipped the outside of the post.

However, the Senegal winger would only have to wait a matter of seconds before getting in on the act following another defensive error from Man City, this time blasting a left-footed strike into the top corner to make it two goals in as many minutes for Liverpool, banishing the memories of his red card in the reverse fixture in the process.

Klopp's side then added a third in a devastating eight-minute spell when Ederson came out of his area but only fired his clearance straight to Salah, who took a touch before lifting his finish over the stranded keeper and into the empty net from all of 40 yards out.

It was the third time that all three of Liverpool's attackers had been on the scoresheet this season and a clear message that the Reds are still a potent force going forward even without Philippe Coutinho, although the lingering questions at the other end of the field once again surfaced during the final 15 minutes as City roared back.

Desperate to keep their unbeaten streak alive, City began to throw bodies forward in search of a memorable late comeback, and Otamendi missed the chance to kickstart it when he failed to turn De Bruyne's cross back across goal for an unmarked Stones.

Liverpool were in no mood to settle for four goals themselves and threatened through Georginio Wijnaldum's low strike seven minutes from time, but just moments later they had seen their advantage reduced to two goals as City pulled one back.

Sane had cut inside from the left flank and seen his own shot well blocked, only for the ball to fall at the feet of substitute Bernardo, who swept his finish into the bottom corner.

It was a goal which gave City a glimmer of hope, and that became a strong belief when Gundogan made it 4-3 in the second of four minutes stoppage time, collecting Aguero's cross on his chest before poking it home from close range following some poor Liverpool defending.

A late Man City free kick shredded the Liverpool nerves even further, particularly when Aguero rippled the side-netting from De Bruyne's delivery, but the Argentine was flagged offside in what proved to be City's final chance as Liverpool held out for a victory which lifts them above Chelsea and into third in the table.

Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last 18 matches across all competitions and 19 at Anfield, becoming the first team to beat Man City on British soil in the last 37 attempts.

City's unbeaten Premier League streak ends at 30 games, which is the sixth-longest in English top-flight history and leaves them one short of Liverpool's own record, which was set in the 1987-88 season.

City remain 15 points clear at the top of the table, but their hopes of becoming only the third team to go through an entire English top-flight season unbeaten - after Preston North End in 1888-89 and Arsenal in 2003-04 - have now been ended 23 matches into the campaign.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Karius; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Robertson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Can (Milner, 79'), Wijnaldum; Salah (Lallana, 88'), Firmino, Mane (Klavan, 94')

MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph (Danilo, 31'); De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan; Sterling (Bernardo, 71'), Aguero, Sane