Micah Richards says Manchester City's recent defeat could be a much "needed wake-up call" as they look to defend their Premier League title.
City dropped points against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening as summer transfer target Harry Kane piled misery on Pep Guardiola by scoring twice against the league leaders to show what they're missing out on.
Speaking on the BBC's Monday Night Club podcast, ex-City right-back Richards pointed out how titles can be won and lost in short spells of poor form.
He said: "It only takes one slip-up. Liverpool have got a squad now. They've got people like [Luis] Diaz coming in while [Naby] Keita and [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain are playing well. [Joe] Gomez even got a start as did [Kostas] Tsimikas the left-back.
"I don't think it [the title race] was over by any stretch at all. Man City were always going to drop points, especially around the time of the Champions League. We all knew that was going to happen. It's definitely not over.
"Liverpool are a strong side. Man City got 100 points a couple of seasons ago and Liverpool pushed them all the way. People say the title race was over but it's never been over, in my opinion.
"In terms of Man City, they needed that wake-up call to say things are not over yet, that they are playing some of the best football they have played all season, but they are still vulnerable to the counter-attack which Spurs exploited them with."
City twice had to come from behind and thought they had secured a point thanks to Riyad Mahrez's stoppage-time penalty only for Kane to score right at the death.
It leaves them just six points ahead of Liverpool who have won nine out of their last 10 matches and have a game in hand over Guardiola's side.
The pair also have an Etihad date scheduled for early April as the two title challengers go head-to-head in what will almost certainly be a crucial clash.
