Jurgen Klopp puffed out his cheeks and listed the run of games stretching out ahead of Liverpool.
‘Man United, Everton, Villarreal, Newcastle, Villarreal,’ said Klopp.
Pep Guardiola referenced the ones his Manchester City team had just played. ‘Atletico, Liverpool, Atletico, Liverpool,’ he reminded us.
The point being made was the same. The battle between these two remarkable coaches’ teams is as physically and emotionally exacting as any we can recall. From here to the end of May, it will only grow more intense.
This absorbing but slightly strange game removed City from one part of the equation.