Liverpool 0-3 Man City Stats: Premier League Leaders Respond to Guilty Verdict With Clinical Anfield Win Analyst
After a turbulent two weeks,Manchester Cityreturned to action with an emphatic 3-0 defeat of 10-man Liverpool at Anfield. Manchester City delivered a statement of intent in their first game since being found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial regulations, swatting aside 10-man Liverpool 3-0.
Sunday's contest at Anfield came amid the backdrop of the Premier League winning their case against Man City, who have appealed the result and maintain their innocence. A vociferous home crowd jeered every touch and pass from City's players throughout, yet the league leaders demonstrated their class with a clinical, ruthless showing in the wake of Ryan Gravenberch's 62nd-minute red card.
Erling Haaland and Jérémy Doku scored in the space of three minutes, before Rayan Cherki capped off a sensational team move. Liverpool started brightly, yet City came closest to an opener when Antoine Semenyo's drilled cross skimmed through the six-yard box.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into action at the start of the second half, with Liverpool having three shots in the space of a minute. Donnarumma denied Lewis Koumas and Gravenberch, before Alexis Mac Allister curled wide.
Haaland then spurned a brilliant chance when he was put through by Semenyo, but the match then turned as Gravenberch received a harsh, second booking for a challenge on substitute Doku. City did not look back from there.
Within three minutes, Haaland had slammed in first time after Doku's shot was deflected into his path. Three minutes later, Doku curled a sublime finish over the top of Alisson.
Cherki added further gloss in the 78th minute, slotting home after a sensational move that involved 41 passes, which is the longest sequence resulting in a Premier League goal since Phil Foden netted against Nottingham Forest in September 2023 (46 passes). Man City's Show of Defiance While City lodge their appeal against the guilty verdict, all Enzo Maresca's team can do is focus on the here and now.
And the here and now has them top of the Premier League, three points clear of Arsenal. There were just two minutes and 37 seconds between Gravenberch being sent off for Liverpool and Haaland putting City 1-0 up, and it truly was a clinical showing from the visitors from then on.
Haaland has scored eight goals in his last eight appearances against Liverpool in all competitions - no other player has scored more than five goals versus the Reds since he joined City in 2022. Doku scored his 12th Premier League goal, but only his second as a substitute (also October 2024 vs Fulham) - he is the third sub to score at Anfield for City in the competition after George Weah in September 2000 and Bernardo Silva in January 2018.