The 2002/03 season was a simpler time.

Manchester United ended up champions and West Brom were relegated - pretty much your archetypal, early-noughties Premier League campaign.

It's also the last time Manchester City beat Liverpool at Anfield.

There was less at stake than there will be in Sunday's huge top-of-the-table clash, which many are predicting could be a pivotal moment in the title race.

Win, and Jurgen Klopp's men will race nine points clear. Lose, and they'll be glancing nervously over their shoulders at just a three-point gap.

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Back then, however, Liverpool were still battling to get into the top four. It was between Gerard Houllier's side and Chelsea, with City dealing the Reds' hopes what proved to be a fatal blow.

As for City, they finished ninth. That was far from shabby by their standards of the time, and it was all overseen by Kevin Keegan.

It goes without saying that the City line-up was quite different from the dazzling, multi-million pound XI they boast today.

Sheikh Mansour would not take over for another five years, which begs the question of how the two teams lined up on that day in May, 16 years ago.

Let's start with Liverpool.

Jerzy Dudek

Dudek is no longer involved in football but partakes in a bit of racing driving on the side. It's often forgotten, after Istanbul, that he made a string of errors in his early years at Liverpool and many were unconvinced. 

Jamie Carragher

Carragher is, of course, now working as a Sky Sports pundit but remains just as excitable during Liverpool games as he did on the pitch.

Djimi Traoré

Unfortunately, probably best remembered for Liverpool fans' chant about him: 'He just can't, he just can't, he just can't control his feet'. Traoré is now an assistant coach for Seattle Sounders in the MLS.

Sami Hyypia

Hyypia stayed at the club for 10 years. He is taking a break from management currently but has previously coached Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton, and FC Zurich. 

John Arne Riise

Rumour has it his opponents are still having nightmares about that left foot. Earlier this year, he finally returned to the game as director of football at Birkirkara in Malta, but resigned after three months due to personal reasons. 

El Hadji Diouf

Diouf is, quite understandably, not remembered fondly on Merseyside. Since leaving, he's claimed Steven Gerrard was 'nothing'. The man infamous for spitting at opponents now works as a 'goodwill ambassador' for the Senegalese government. Yes, really. 

Dietmar Hamann

Hamann dabbled in management after hanging up his boots, but his only official role came with Stockport County in 2011. 

Steven Gerrard

Back in 2003, Gerrard was making a name for himself as a 23-year-old. The following three years saw his greatest period of success, winning the Champions League and subsequently the FA Cup in the 'Gerrard final'. He's now the Rangers manager, but you already knew that. 

Danny Murphy

Murphy had a decent career after Liverpool with the likes of Spurs and Fulham. He's still a familiar face thanks to his role on Match of the Day. 

Michael Owen

A year after this game, the love affair was over. Owen's was a fine career at Liverpool, winning the Ballon d'Or and a treble - of sorts - with the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. His move to Real Madrid soured that relationship, but not as much as his later decision to join Manchester United. 

Manchester City

Peter Schmeichel

The Manchester United legend saw out his latter years across the city and this was one of his final games. He's done TV work since retiring but has mostly been cheering on his son, Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel, who has himself won the Premier League. 

Richard Dunne

Dunne was Mr. Manchester City for a long time but only lasted a year after the takeover. The former Ireland international is now a regular on BT Sport. A little-known fact is that he's in the record books as the Premier League player to have scored the most own goals (10). City have improved a bit since then. 

David Sommeil

In truth, the defender never made a huge impact in his five years in England. In fact, his most consistent years were arguably behind him already when he arrived at the City of Manchester Stadium. 

Sylvain Distin

Distin has made more Premier League appearances than any other foreign outfield player. He was a dependable centre-back for City but left a year before the money came in.

Shaun Wright-Phillips

The English winger was a scintillating prospect as a youngster. If only City had kept hold of him. He never quite developed into the player many hoped he would after being snapped up by Chelsea. Look out for his son, D'Margio Wright-Phillips, in the coming years as he plays for City's Academy. 

Joey Barton

While he's managing Fleetwood Town, he's been in the headlines - and in court - after being charged with assaulting another manager, Barnsley's Daniel Stendel. 

Ali Benarbia

The Algerian became City captain but never really adapted to the Premier League. He's now a presenter on Al-Jazeera Sports in Qatar. 

Kevin Horlock

Just like now, City had a Kevin at the heart of their midfield. That's probably where the comparisons end, though. Horlock dropped down the divisions and now manages the academy at Needham Market, also working with the Northern Ireland under-21s. 

Niclas Jensen

The Danish left-back only stayed at City a year. He now works as an agent, his company representing the next generation of Scandinavian talents like Martin Odegaard. 

Robbie Fowler

It's strange to think Fowler lined up in this game on the opposite side. He had, of course, spent two years at Leeds in between Liverpool and City, though he ended up back with the Reds in 2006. The legendary forward is now managing Brisbane Roar in the A-League. 

Nicolas Anelka

Both of City's front two had previously played for Liverpool - then again, 'Le Sulk' got around a fair bit during his playing days. He went on to play for a number of other English clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, and West Brom before ending his career at Mumbai City. Anelka now works as a youth coach with Lille.

It's remarkable to think that Keegan's motley crew succeeded where Pep Guardiola has so far failed - but that could well change on Sunday.