Manchester City winger Kevin De Bruyne says they enjoyed picking off Liverpool for their 5-0 rout.
The Belgian midfielder produced a superb man-of-the-match display from midfield, setting up the first two goals as Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus (2) and substitute Leroy Sane (2) all found the target.
"Obviously we knew it was going to be a very intensive game. They are very strong offensively and for the first 20 minutes it was a bit back and forth all the time," said De Bruyne.
"After the first goal we took control and then that (the sending off) happened. It was not a bad foul but with the way Eddy comes out of it it's normal for a red card.
"If he doesn't have the injury it's a yellow card.
"After that I think we played really smart. We didn't give Liverpool time and if you score a few goals it makes it a lot easier."