Roy Keane believes Liverpool can no longer be considered Premier League title contenders, saying their 3-0 thumping at Manchester City proves they are in a "crisis". Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez, and Jeremy Doku saw Pep Guardiola’s City confirm themselves as the likeliest challengers to league leaders Arsenal, in what was a damaging defeat for the reigning champions.

Haaland, Gonzalez & Doku all on target against lacklustre Liverpool

All eyes were on the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as City and Liverpool aimed to not only dent each other’s title hopes, but equally close the gap on an Arsenal side who were held to a 2-2 draw with Sunderland the previous day.

And on the 1,000th game of Guardiola’s illustrious managerial career, it was City who outlined their title credentials, roaring past a Liverpool side for whom it looked like it was one game too many in their mini-revival following victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid.

Haaland, Gonzalez and man-of-the-match Doku did the damage for City, who are now second in the table and just four points behind Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. Meanwhile, Liverpool remain eight points adrift of the Gunners, having lost a fourth consecutive away game in the league for the first time since 2012.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportManchester United icon Keane lays into Slot's Reds after the game

And such was the sluggish nature of Liverpool’s loss at City that Manchester United legend Keane feels Arne Slot’s men are now unlikely to defend the title which they claimed last season.

In the immediate aftermath of the match, Keane told "You can't be considering Liverpool for the title. That was a sore defeat. But this reminded me of [the] City of old. They were outstanding. They are back in the mix."

He then said it is "crisis time for Liverpool," adding: "It's okay to lose to a club like Man City – it's a tough place to come. But to lose seven in ten – five league losses already – It has to be a crisis for a club like Liverpool.

"I thought Liverpool looked like a really weak team today. The manager said he was pleased with the second half, but the game was over! It's easy to play well when you're not playing for anything. 

"I thought [Slot's] assessment of the game was spot on. City looked stronger, technically better and more physical than Liverpool today. [Liverpool] still had moments, they've always got quality, but the goals they're giving away – their decision making  – was not good enough. There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. The subs, when they came on, looked really soft. I think it is a crisis for Liverpool."

Van Dijk stops short of getting involved in debate over disallowed goal

While Liverpool were second best for the majority of the match, they will feel aggrieved they did not register at least one goal in the game. 

The Merseysiders thought they had delivered a sucker punch in the first half when captain Virgil van Dijk headed home from Mohamed Salah’s corner, but the goal was ruled out after Andy Robertson was adjudged to have been interfering with play from an offside position.

However, Netherlands international Van Dijk refused to get embroiled in a debate over the decision, saying "it doesn’t matter what he thinks about the incident."

Getty Images SportNetherlands centre-back insists 'it doesn't matter' what he thinks

When asked about his disallowed goal after the final whistle, Van Dijk told "In football the officials are deciding the key decisions and we have to deal with it on the pitch. There is no point discussing this from my point of view. The reality is that we lost 3-0 and that is a big blow.

"It doesn't matter what I say [about the goal] because anything I say will be in the media and the whole international break will be about my comment on the decision. I just focus on the fact we lost. You guys can debate if it should have stood.

"It's about finding consistency and carrying on. Now we go to our countries, stay fit and be ready for a big run after. We are not going to give up whatsoever. We are in November and we are ready for a long season and a big fight."