Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola sought to ramp up the tension ahead of a potentially decisive Premier League clash next weekend by calling out Liverpool star Sadio Mane for diving.
Both City and Liverpool ground out narrow victories on Saturday to stay clear of the chasing pack in second and first place respectively.
Pep's men came back from behind to see off Southampton, but their 2-1 victory was positively comfortable compared to events at Villa Park.
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Liverpool trailed until the 87th minute to Aston Villa before goals from Neil Robertson and Mane salvaged victory in the dying seconds.