MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City to ease their Champions League pain by securing a vital win against Liverpool on Sunday. Guardiola’s side were eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition in stunning fashion on Wednesday as they blew a 5-3 first leg advantage to go out on away goals following a 3-1 defeat at Monaco. It was another major setback for City manager Guardiola, who had never before seen one of his teams knocked out before the Champions League quarter-finals. Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola was heavily criticised for his tactics and team selection in Monaco. With third placed City just one point ahead of fourth placed Liverpool in the battle for a top four finish, Guardiola needs a lift at the Eastlands on Sunday and he is eager to see how his team respond to the situation. “Qualification for the Champions League will be tough until the last game of the Premier League,” Guardiola said. “It will be good to see how everybody reacts, myself and the players, after going out of the Champions League. “It’s an important game before the international team break against one of the best teams in the Premier League.” Having won three of their last four games, Liverpool have opened up a five-point gap on fifth placed Arsenal as the race for Champions League qualification heats up.