And on the 1,000th game of Guardiola’s illustrious managerial career, it was City who outlined their title credentials, roaring past a Liverpool side who - for the vast majority of the encounter - looked like it was one game too many in their mini revival following victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
Haaland, Gonzalez, and man-of-the-match Doku did the damage for City, who moved up to second, just four points behind Arsenal. Liverpool, meanwhile, remain eight points adrift of the Gunners, having lost a fourth consecutive away game in the league for the first time since 2012.
And such was the sluggish nature of Liverpool’s loss at City that Manchester United legend Keane feels Arne Slot’s men are now unlikely to defend the title which they claimed last season.
In the immediate aftermath of the match, Keane told Sky Sports: "You can't be considering Liverpool for the title. That was a sore defeat. But this reminded me of [the] City of old. They were outstanding. They are back in the mix."
He later added that Liverpool are in a "crisis" situation.
"I think it is crisis time for Liverpool. It's okay to lose to a club like Man City - it's a tough place to come," he said. "But to lose seven in ten - five league losses already - It has to be a crisis for a club like Liverpool. I thought Liverpool looked like a really weak team today. The manager said he was pleased with the second half, but the game was over! It's easy to play well when you're not playing for anything. I thought [Slot's] assessment of the game was spot on. City looked stronger, technically better and more physical than Liverpool today. [Liverpool] still had moments, they've always got quality, but the goals they're giving away - their decision making - was not good enough. There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. The subs, when they came on, looked really soft. I think it is a crisis for Liverpool."
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The Merseysiders thought they had delivered a sucker punch in the first half when captain Virgil van Dijk headed home from Mohamed Salah’s corner, but the goal was ruled out after Andy Robertson was adjudged to have been interfering with play from an offside position.
However, Netherlands international Van Dijk refused to get embroiled in a debate over the decision, saying, "It doesn’t matter what he thinks about the incident.
When asked about his disallowed goal after the final whistle, Van Dijk told Sky Sports: "In football the officials are deciding the key decisions and we have to deal with it on the pitch. There is no point discussing this from my point of view. The reality is that we lost 3-0 and that is a big blow.
"It doesn't matter what I say [about the goal] because anything I say will be in the media and the whole international break will be about my comment on the decision. I just focus on the fact we lost. You guys can debate if it should have stood.
"It's about finding consistency and carrying on. Now we go to our countries, stay fit and be ready for a big run after. We are not going to give up whatsoever. We are in November and we are ready for a long season and a big fight."
Liverpool will look to pick themselves up after the international break when they play host to Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, 22 November. They will then entertain PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League four days later.
City, on the other hand, will hope to stay hot on Arsenal’s heels when they travel to Newcastle on 22 November. Guardiola’s charges will then lock horns with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad on Tuesday, 25 November.
