City have had bumps in the road this season with defeats against Brighton, Tottenham and Aston Villa, but two of those defeats came in August.
A summer of change saw the old guard such as Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson depart after playing a key role in their final years of success.
But a run of one defeat in their last 14 games shows City have regained the consistency of results that has taken them to six titles in eight years and the holy grail of the Champions League.
Led by goal machine Haaland, the unstoppable forward’s goal saw him take his impressive total to 28 goals for club and country in just 18 appearances so far this season.
After the defeat at Villa last month, Guardiola called on his midfielders and wingers to contribute goals and the little-known Nico González and the dazzling Jeremy Doku answered that call against Liverpool.
In Rodri’s absence, his compatriot González has grown into a number six and has had more touches on the ball than any City player, while left-back Nico O’Reilly superbly chained Mohamed Salah for long periods of the match, winning more tackles (five) than any other player on the pitch.
“Nico O’Reilly was incredible,” Guardiola said. “Overall, everyone was extraordinary because they are still the champions.”
Guardiola also praised Bernardo Silva, saying the midfielder “was there” even though he “struggled” last season, adding: “He’s been an incredible signing for us and the way we play.” [against Liverpool] “He is a teacher.”
The Portuguese, together with his partner Phil Foden, ran more than 12.5 km on Sunday; Only twice has a player covered more ground in a Premier League match this season.
Former Premier League striker Dion Dublin said: “Guardiola has put his team back where he wants. This is the City of yesteryear. This is the City we remember, dominating the games.
“I think Liverpool, on this occasion, were outplayed by a team that is simply showing us that we shouldn’t count them out.”
The Reds have fallen to eighth in the table, eight points behind the Gunners, with manager Arne Slot saying five defeats “are too many” and that “the last thing we should be thinking about now is the title race”.
Guardiola and City, however, will do precisely the opposite.
Additional reporting by BBC Sport’s Chris Collinson
