Manchester City beat ten-man Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, scoring three times in 13 minutes after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second yellow card in the 62nd minute. Erling Haaland scored in the 65th minute, Jérémy Doku added a stunning second in the 68th, and Rayan Cherki sealed it in the 78th. The win ends Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season and keeps City at the top of the Premier League.
For an hour, this was a tight, tense contest. Then Ryan Gravenberch was sent off, and Manchester City didn’t need long to take over.
A Goalless First Hour
Neither side could break the other down in the first half, and Liverpool struggled to create clear chances. The game stayed finely balanced until the 62nd minute, when Gravenberch was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Doku. The Liverpool midfielder was sent off, and the match changed in an instant.
Three Goals in 13 Minutes
City took advantage almost immediately. In the 65th minute, Haaland reacted quickest inside the box and finished from close range after Doku’s ball into the area took a deflection off Alexis Mac Allister.
Three minutes later, it was 2-0. Doku cut inside from the left and curled a superb strike into the top-right corner, leaving Alisson Becker with little chance.
Cherki completed the scoring in the 78th minute with a moment of quality. He dummied a pass, took the ball back from Joško Gvardiol, and coolly slid a finish past Alisson. City then saw the game out comfortably, with Doku continuing to trouble the Liverpool defense.
What It Means
The defeat is Liverpool’s first of the season. Andoni Iraola’s side had started with two wins and three draws and arrived in sixth place, but they struggled to create anything before the red card and were exposed once reduced to ten men.
City, under Enzo Maresca, had won their first five league games and came into the match at the top of the table. The win strengthens their position in the title race and continues their recent dominance over Liverpool, after they won both Premier League meetings between the sides last season.
A Match Played Under Scrutiny
The result came as City faced heavy scrutiny following the verdict in the Premier League’s financial rules case. An independent commission found the club guilty of the charges relating to serious breaches of the league’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and of the majority of the charges linked to failing to cooperate with the investigation. City say they are innocent and have lodged an appeal, and any sanction has yet to be decided.
Before the match, Maresca defended the club’s achievements during the period under investigation, saying he had no doubts about the effort invested in winning their major trophies.
