MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Manchester City crushed rivals Liverpool 3-0 in a high-stakes Premier League clash on Sunday, with Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku scoring to seal a win that could prove pivotal in the title race.

The game was City boss Pep Guardiola's 1,000th as a manager and his team marked the milestone with a statement victory that saw them climb to second in the table on 22 points after 11 games, four adrift of leaders Arsenal. Holders Liverpool tumbled to eighth on 18 points.