LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Embracing his teammates after a hugely significant win in the Premier League title race, Steven Gerrard looked to the skies and cried tears of joy.

A first championship in 24 years is tantalisingly in sight for Liverpool and its inspirational captain.

A 78th-minute winner by Philippe Coutinho earned Liverpool a 3-2 victory over title rivals Manchester City and capped a thrilling and emotionally charged match at Anfield yesterday.

A 10th straight win kept Liverpool top of the standings and means four more victories in their last four matches will ensure the league trophy returns to Merseyside for the first time since 1990.

“That is probably the biggest statement we have made so far,” Gerrard said, moments after leaving the pitch to a standing ovation and a pat on the back from City manager Manuel Pellegrini. “That was the longest 90 minutes I have probably played in. It felt like the clock was going backwards.”

Driven on by their passionate and frenzied support, Liverpool blew away City in a breathtaking opening, going 2-0 ahead, thanks to goals by Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel inside 26 minutes.

City produced a stirring second-half fightback, with David Silva scoring in the 57th before Glen Johnson’s own goal five minutes later looked like giving the visitors a point.

But Coutinho pounced on City captain Vincent Kompany’s poor clearance to curl home a low strike, sending the home crowd into delirium. Jordan Henderson’s injury-time red card for a studs-up challenge on Samir Nasri came too late to affect the outcome.

An emotional Gerrard rounded up Liverpool’s players into a huddle after the final whistle and — with his fist clenched — delivered a rousing speech, imploring his teammates to keep going to the end of the season.

For the title race is far from over. Third-place City are seven points behind Liverpool but with two games in hand. Second-place Chelsea are two points off the lead and also have the title in their own hands, with one of their last four games coming at Anfield on April 27.

All the momentum is with Liverpool, however, and it would mean so much to the club and its fans if it can win the league this season, given that tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans were killed in a stadium crush. Gerrard’s cousin was among those to die in the tragedy.

Thousands of Liverpool fans lined the streets outside Anfield hours before kick-off to cheer the team bus into the ground and the sea of flags, scarves and banners in the iconic Kop stand harked back to the days in the late 1970s and 80s when the club dominated English and European football.

A string of tributes to mark the upcoming Hillsborough anniversary added to the gravitas of the contest and City’s players simply failed to deal with it in the first half.

By the 26th minute, they had fallen two goals behind, lost midfield driving force Yaya Toure to a hamstring injury and their defence was being undone by the pace and movement of Luis Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling and the excellent Coutinho.

The Liverpool crowd also played its part, following Rodgers’ orders to “unleash” themselves on City, and there was lift off inside the stadium when Sterling opened the scoring.