We may have only just celebrated Bonfire Night and there are still 46 days until Christmas.But, after a chastening defeat in the rain at the Etihad Stadium, the flame has arguably already gone out on Liverpool’s hopes of retaining their title Premier League title.Liverpool have lost four consecutive Premier League away games, their worst run on the road since April 2012GettyThe body language of Virgil van Dijk after Nico Gonzalez’s hopeful long-range effort deflected into the net off the Liverpool captain suggested he for one is already resigned to surrendering his grip on the trophy.After all it is rare that a team loses more than five Premier League games in a single season and goes on to be crowned champions.In the last 15 years, only Manchester City in 2014 and 2021 have gone on to win a Premier League title having lost more than six matches in a league season.Liverpool have now lost FIVE of their first 11 and trail leaders Arsenal by eight points.That wasn’t part of the masterplan when they broke the British transfer record not once but twice in the summer window.The £125m Alexander Isak was back from injury, but left watching on from the bench as his shell-shocked teammates were restricted to chasing shadows almost from the first whistle.That is damning reflection not only on the lack of impact Isak has made since arriving at Anfield but also on his lack of ability to keep himself fit during the saga of his switch from Newcastle.Florian Wirtz, the second most expensive signing in English football history behind his teammate, once again failed to sparkle.At the other end of the pitch Ibrahima Konate continues to make a good case for Liverpool NOT extending his contract when it expires at the end of the season.And spare a thought for Conor Bradley, brilliant in the mid-week Champions League win over Real Madrid but left dancing to the tune of the dazzling Jeremy Doku here.Doku was the best player on the pitch, rounding off the win with a brilliant curling effort from 25 yards outGettyErling Haaland earlier put City in front with Konate found wantingGettyIt was a tough match for Konate, who is set to leave on a free in the summerAFPBy the end of the game Bradley needed the services of an escape artist to untie all the knots he had been tangled in by City’s brilliant Belgium.Of course Erling Haaland scored to ensure Pep Guardiola marked his 1,000th games as a manager in the grand manner.Even a missed penalty could not keep the striking Viking down.Haaland has now bagged an incredible 99 Premier League goals in just 108 appearances and will go on to eclipse Alan Shearer’s record as the fastest player to reach a century, probably against Newcastle in two weeks’ time.But as Guardiola did a victory jig on the touchline after Gonzalez had made it 2-0 in first half stoppage time, Doku was the catalyst for ending Liverpool’s mini revival.It was Doku’s sensational 22-yard curler that set the seal on City’s best win of the season so far and he fully deserved his standing ovation when substituted late on.Van Dijk was by no means the only visiting player standing with hands on hips as the Reds were picking the ball out of their net for the third time following Doku’s thunderbolt.This defeat also ends Liverpool’s 44-match scoring streak in the Premier LeagueGettyThe short coach journey back along the M62 to Merseyside will not have been long enough for all the soul-searching the Dutchman and his teammates need to do.