Pep Guardiola became a meme when decisions in Liverpool game enraged him

Every elite Premier League manager has a truly iconic moment on the touchline that fans never forget. Whether it is Sir Alex Ferguson telling Mike Phelan off for popping a balloon or Arsene Wenger with his arms out at Old Trafford after being sent to the stands.

Every elite Premier League manager has a truly iconic moment on the touchline that fans never forget.

Whether it is Sir Alex Ferguson telling Mike Phelan off for popping a balloon or Arsene Wenger with his arms out at Old Trafford after being sent to the stands.

Or even Louis van Gaal dramatically collapsing to the ground or Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte getting into a bit of scrap, there are moments that stick with us forever.

For Pep Guardiola, arguably the best manager of this generation, it will always be his howling to the heavens with two fingers stuck up, screaming: "TWICE!"

But in that moment of incandescent rage, Guardiola, one of the greatest football minds of all time, was reduced to a meme.

How did we get to this point? What had led to the Catalan coach blowing his top in front of a stunned Mike Dean?

It all began just seconds into a crucial Premier League clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at Anfield on 10, November 2019, with Jurgen Klopp's men already showcasing their unstoppable power.

And that swashbuckling ferocity was there to see after just five minutes when Fabinho unleashed a bullet of a show that left Claudio Bravo had no chance, nothing wrong with that but the City players swarmed Michael Oliver anyway.

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Why? Because in the very same phase of play, before Liverpool rushed up the pitch, there were big shouts of handball when a ball into the box looked like it brushed the right-back's arm.

VAR intervened and saw nothing wrong and awarded the goal and before City could even pick themselves up, Mohamed Salah had doubled the lead with a fine header.

Sadio Mane then made it three on a famous November afternoon for the Reds before Bernardo Silva grabbed one back with a brilliant finish to set up a grandstand 15 minutes of action.

With time trickling down and desperation perspiring from every City player and coach, the second incident arrived.

Raheem Sterling, being booed as he dashed into the penalty box, hit the ball into Alexander-Arnold's drooping arm by his side and the away fans, right next to the action, all screamed in unison.

Oliver waved it away, and cue the meltdown.

Having kept himself at a simmering temperature throughout the contest, Guardiola's head finally blew off as he charged toward fourth official Dean.

Draped in a black puffer jacket and a snug-looking scarf, the City boss flew into a fury with two fingers held aloft.

"TWICE!" he hurtled at Dean. "TWICE!" one more time with gusto.

"TWIIIIICE!" like a tenor hitting the highest crescendo, projecting that final note towards the gods; Guardiola became immortal.

A lasting image that would encapsulate the true drama of what City vs Liverpool has become in recent years, a clash of titans, a world apart from the mediocrity of the rest of the Premier League.

When the two sides meet again on Saturday lunchtime, live on talkSPORT, the stakes are not as high but the recent history cannot be ignored with both teams putting on elite sport every time they meet.

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City cannot afford to drop any more points in their hunt for the title behind Arsenal while Liverpool must keep their optimistic top-four hopes alive.

One thing is for sure, expect fireworks as always.

Showdown Saturday on talkSPORT

On Saturday 1 April, it's all kicking off on talkSPORT.

12:30pm: Starting the day, Man City host Liverpool in a key Premier League game.

3pm: Crystal Palace vs Leicester sees the return of Roy Hodgson to the Selhurst Park dugout.

7pm: Build-up begins for the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin as AJ starts his route back to the top.

What. A. Day.

You can tune in to talkSPORT via our free online streaming service at talkSPORT.com, DAB digital radio, download the talkSPORT app, or ask your smart speaker to play talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2. talkSPORT is also widely available across the UK on 1089 or 1053 AM.

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