Manchester City arrived for this fixture through streets already decked out for Halloween, and left Liverpool still haunted by the spectre of Anfield.
Mo Salah scored the only goal of the game to inflict the first defeat of the season on a defensive Blues outfit and prove Pep Guardiola right that Liverpool are still very much contenders to win the Premier League title. Defeat at Anfield may be nothing new but, given the form of the respective sides going into it, and the presence of the goalscoring phenomenon that is Erling Haaland wearing City colours, it felt like an opportunity missed to inflict serious damage on a Liverpool side already hurting.
City of course won here powerfully in 2020 when Phil Foden tore the home team apart, but with that game taking place behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions, the wait for the visiting fans to see a win at this ground is now set to stretch into a 21st season. More significantly for the team, a potential 16-point gap is now back down to 10 and Jurgen Klopp's challengers can take significant confidence from beating the Blues in the league for the first time since 2019.
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Guardiola, as he likes to do in this fixture, opted for caution in his selection. Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan were picked instead of a winger, and the Portugal international fulfilled his customary role in big games of flying about all over the place putting out fires predominantly from a holding midfield position.
City's manager has been burned before at this ground trying to get control of the midfield but it has never stopped his intention to win that battle, and there was definitely success here in the early stages of neutralising a Liverpool side that started quickly. Before too long, boos could be heard from the home stands as the Blues cooled the tempo with a string of passes.
Haaland had sniffed the goal and Ilkay Gundogan forced Alisson into the game's first save, but the first major threat came from the home side. Diogo Jota flashed a cross across the six-yard box that Ederson did well to beat away, and even then he was fortunate that Andy Robertson's follow-up was smashed over the bar rather than into the top corner.
Liverpool did what few teams can to City by hogging 70 per cent of the ball over a ten-minute period in the first half, and when Mo Salah worked his way onto the wrong side of Ruben Dias there was serious danger before Nathan Ake got the better of Harvey Elliott.
A team that is used to controlling and dominating football matches did neither in the opening 45 minutes, and were indebted to Ederson on a number of occasions - particularly when Salah went through one on one in the second half - to protect their goal. This was not the City we have seen all season.
The commitment was there though and the visitors were still creating chances on the counter; when Haaland soared high in the box to meet De Bruyne's ball before half-time the net waited to bulge, only for the ball to nestle safely in Alisson's arms instead. They went even closer after the break when Phil Foden bundled the ball in following a ludicrous through-ball from De Bruyne to Haaland, only for referee Anthony Taylor to go to the screen and rule it out for a foul in the build-up.
An incensed Guardiola gave Taylor both barrels to and from the screen, and sarcastically applauded the decision theatrically before conducting the jubilant home fans behind him. While he fumed, City slept and Jota's header hit the bar and went over.
At the very least, at long last a squib of a contest had set alight as both sides sensed a goal. With 30 minutes to go, the energy warmed a chilly Anfield.
Gundogan found Haaland on the edge of the box to force a terrific squeezed save from Alisson down to his left, while Elliot's eyes briefly lit up again at the other end only for Foden to come back and put a block in. It wasn't quite as fiery as the touchline - where City allege the manager had coins thrown in his direction - yet it brought an urgency that had been missing up to that point.
Liverpool's threat left City vulnerable the longer they went without a goal, and the breakthrough came with just 15 minutes left when Salah latched onto an Alisson long kick that Cancelo completely missed and slotted past Ederson for the opener. City could not find a response as Haaland failed to score for the first time in 11 matches, and Anfield roared once more.
There is no shame in losing to a fine Liverpool team in a game that ultimately was decided by fine margins. This result will not decide where the trophy ends up in May.
It does, however, stem the City momentum and give encouragement to one of their biggest rivals at a time when they have not been flush with it. That quality can be significant in seeing a quick swing in form and is something the champions will have to guard against as they pick themselves up next weekend for the visit of Brighton.
And if Guardiola will continue to look over his shoulder at Liverpool, he can also focus on a new challenger: Arsenal. While this game took most of the coverage over the course of the day, the early Premier League leaders won again at Leeds to open up a four-point gap at the top for Mikel Arteta's side.
They can grumble about VAR or the referee if they want, but after no tricks and no treats over the 90 minutes City have to look at themselves when they work out why they came away pointless from Anfield again.
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