Manuel Pellegrini 's problems are mounting but he refused to concede the title despite suffering a hugely damaging defeat at Anfield . Coming so soon after losing 2-1 to Barcelona in the Champions League City needed a show of character against Liverpool but got the opposite , and the Manchester City manager admitted the performance was not good enough . The defeat leaves City five points behind Chelsea having played a game more , but Pellegrini saw City pull their dream of becoming champions out of the fire last season and he hopes history will repeat itself , even though time is running out . Manuel Pellegrini is refusing to accept defeat in the title race despite seeing Manchester City lose again . Pellegrini ( left ) looks on despondently as he shakes the hands of Brendan Rodgers ( right ) at full-time . ‘ I think we never give up about the title , ’ said Pellegrini . ‘ We must try to improve our play first and after that try to win our next game . You never know in football what will happen . 'It is more difficult when you have less games and you continue with the same points . ‘ But I don ’ t think the team can think about that . The team must think about how we can win the next game . 'There were a lot of problems . There were two goals from Liverpool , very good goals in the top corner . We missed three clear chances . It was a close game . ‘ Liverpool played very well and they deserved to win . I am concerned about the whole team . We were playing very well against Stoke and Newcastle . Philippe Coutinho lets fly from range to score the winning goal for Liverpool against City . Hart is left helpless as Coutinho 's effort rises above his outstretched hand and hits the back of the net . Liverpool were pegged back as Edin Dzeko finished off a delightful team passing move . 'We start this week against Barcelona and then ( here ) , it was not our team , we can not lose so many balls with the technical players we have . ‘ That is more important to analyse than the performance of one player . It is more important to think as a team. ’ If Pellegrini was disconsolate , Brendan Rodgers was exultant and he hailed Philippe Coutinho ’ s latest magical display as the Brazilian catapulted Liverpool firmly into the Champions League race . Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League to an 11th game and Coutinho ’ s role in inspiring the win was crucial , not least when he scored a sublime 75th-minute goal . Coutinho ’ s influence on the team has grown in recent weeks , with three goals in his last seven appearances , and Rodgers feels the key to this consistency stems from him having peace of mind after signing a long-term contract last month . Liverpool boss Rodgers ca n't hide his joy at the final whistle as Liverpool edged out City . He had been spared the long trip to Istanbul for the Europa League tie against Besiktas in midweek and the benefits were obvious as his passing and movement tormented Pellegrini ’ s side . ‘ It was a brilliant result and an equally brilliant performance , ’ Rodgers enthused . What made Liverpool ’ s performance all the more meritorious , according to Rodgers , was that their preparations had been disrupted by the Europa League . They only returned to Merseyside at 4.30am on Friday yet finished the stronger side on Sunday . ‘ It is a big win but we still have a lot of games to go , ’ said Rodgers . ‘ But it is a significant win for us , another three points . 'To prepare yourself for a game against the champions is no mean feat . You have to take your hat off to them , the performance was at a real top level . ’
Manchester City lost 2-1 at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon . The champions are five points behind Reds in the Premier League title race - and have also played a game more . Despite that manager Manuel Pellegrini insists his players will never give up on the title despite it now looking improbable they will retain it . Elsewhere , Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers hailed his side after the win . The Chelsea have now taken 20 points from a possible 24 in 2015 .