Having just appealed in vain for a penalty after being barged over by Virgil van Dijk, Aguero kept his composure and exacted his revenge seconds later with his 250th career league goal.
When Bernardo Silva played the ball back into the Liverpool area, Aguero had barely moved from his position, but Dejan Lovren didn’t react quickly enough and the Argentina forward made a clever run across him.
Showing sublime control with his first touch, Aguero smashed a superb shot past Alisson Becker into the roof of the net from the tightest of angles.
Liverpool miss their chance
When video emerged of Jurgen Klopp ringing in the new year by breaking out some dubious dance moves at a party earlier this week, it was jokingly suggested the Liverpool boss was already preparing for his club’s title celebrations.
After all, it was 242 days since Liverpool last lost a Premier League game in a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea in May.
And the Reds arrived at the Etihad boasting a nine-game winning run in the league and knowing a victory would put them well clear at the top while likely killing off City’s challenge.
But Liverpool, who were last crowned champions in 1990, are haunted by the ghosts of the past when Steven Gerrard’s slip let City steal the title from them and once again they were punished for failing to seize the moment.
It is too early to know whether this rather patchy display will prove as costly, yet Liverpool head back nursing a new year’s hangover that make take a while to clear.