City faced the prospect of being out of the top Five of the Premier League at the end of the weekend, but resumed a pivotal result to strengthen its football hopes in the Champions League in 2025-26.
The performance of English teams in Europe means that the Premier League received an additional fifth place in the continent’s first club competition for next season, which leaves City in a healthy position.
But they needed a late show on the Merseyside for the three points and the reaction at the end stressed the importance of a victory.
The city’s players and the staff headed for the corner of the stadium where their happy supporters were accommodated, praising and serenade with songs for Guardiola and the departure of Kevin de Bruyne.
The victory in his next match against Aston Villa, which also pursues a place among the first five, will greatly contribute to sealing a place coveted in the Champions League.
“If you win, you have a character, if you don’t win, you don’t have character – it’s the motto,” said Guardiola.
“What these players have done for a decade, I am so grateful, everything that happened – this season more than ever, in the most difficult period for many reasons, especially injuries.
“We were more or less stable, let’s continue to move forward for the next time. We are miles from Liverpool and Arsenal, but tonight we sleep fourth.
“It’s in our hands, but we have a final on Tuesday, three home games, two outside and I hope that we can succeed in this great success to qualify for the Champions League.”
The former goalkeeper of England Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “It is a massive victory for Manchester City. Football in the Champions League for a club in its stature is an absolute minimum.”
