In my third piece of the season looking at defining moments of Liverpool’s 2016/17 campaign – Dejan Lovren’s hoof and his bodying Romelu Lukaku being parts one and two – I’m going to focus on the amazing moment when a Manchester City fan threw a blue flare onto the pitch in injury time when their team was losing 1-0.

The Build Up

Liverpool took an early lead against Man City thanks to a wonderful header from Gini Wijnaldum and from that moment on, defended like heroes. City had a lot of the ball but couldn’t do much with it as the minutes continued to tick by. Then, in stoppage time, the magic happened.

The Moment

With Liverpool wasting time in true alehouse fashion, a City fan realised that they had carried a flare with them all day and managed to sneak it into the ground. Having done that, they were keen to get their money’s worth, so they lit it, even though they were losing.

The Throw

Right, lighting the flare when losing is stupid enough but if the fan let it off then kept it in the stands, it could have been seen as an act of defiance or as a show of support to Pep Guardiola. But no, it was thrown onto the pitch and more time ticked off the clock.

City weren’t going to score anyway, they could still be playing now and Ragner Klavan would still be carrying Sergio Aguero in his arse pocket whilst James Milner carried Raheem Sterling in his, but wasting time when your team is losing, that takes some courage.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Sport

The Deeper Meaning

I’ll be honest with you, I’m not a big fan of flares, they make me cough and hurt my eyes, but they do look boss on pictures. Look at this one with Lovren in smoke, looking like The Undertaker.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Sport

Dramatic, right?

The red flare on the Goodison Park pitch after Sadio Mane’s 94th minute winner acted almost like a flag on a mountain. A symbol that the ground has been conquered and taken by Klopp’s warriors.

City’s blue flare in the Anfield pitch did symbolised something different. It was a sign that at least one City fan has resigned himself (or herself) to yet another Anfield defeat at the hands of the mighty Reds.

Boss that.

Stay tuned for more in-depth pieces on key moments of the season in the near future.