Manchester City recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, October 11, with Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki finding the net in a Premier League encounter.
The result handed Liverpool their first defeat under manager Andoni Iraola, with City taking advantage of Ryan Gravenberch’s second-half dismissal to secure all three points.
Naija Blog reports that the encounter began cautiously, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut scoring opportunities during the opening 45 minutes.
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister attempted an overhead kick, while Gianluigi Donnarumma comfortably saved Victor Munoz’s long-range effort.
Manchester City also found it difficult to break through Liverpool’s defence, as Alisson Becker collected Enzo Fernandez’s attempt before Cherki fired wide following a promising run down the right flank.
Liverpool Start Second Half Strongly
Liverpool returned from the break with greater attacking intensity and created three opportunities within the first five minutes of the second half.
Donnarumma denied efforts from Lewis Koumas and Gravenberch, while Mac Allister narrowly missed the target with another attempt.
City subsequently threatened through Haaland, who fired wide after receiving a through ball from Antoine Semenyo.
Liverpool’s hopes of securing a positive result suffered a major setback when Gravenberch was sent off after a collision with Doku, leaving the hosts with 10 men.
The dismissal shifted the balance of the contest, allowing Manchester City to exploit their numerical advantage.
Haaland, Doku Put Manchester City Ahead
Manchester City eventually broke the deadlock when Haaland opened the scoring.
Doku’s deflected cross fell into the path of the Norwegian striker, who finished first-time past Alisson to give the visitors the lead.
City doubled their advantage six minutes later through Doku, who cut inside from the left before curling a superb right-footed effort into the top corner.
The goal further strengthened City’s control of the match and left Liverpool struggling to mount a comeback.
Cherki completed the scoring in the 78th minute after combining with Elliot Anderson and Joško Gvardiol in a well-worked attacking move.
The French midfielder calmly slotted the ball past Alisson to seal a comprehensive victory for the visitors.
Maresca Reacts to Victory at Anfield
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca praised his players for responding to the difficult atmosphere at Anfield.
He admitted that his side struggled during the first half but said tactical adjustments after the break helped improve their performance.
“Very difficult circumstances, difficult environment. We struggled in the first half; we were on the ball but not so much off the ball. Second half we made some adjustments, and we were much better,” Maresca said.
The manager also emphasised the importance of dealing with hostile away crowds, insisting that his players must remain focused despite pressure from opposing supporters.
“We need to learn how to deal with the noise because the noise will be with us at all of our away games, there will be noise. We need to deal with that and make our noise. Our noise is to win games,” he added.
Liverpool Fans Protest Manchester City Financial Case
The match also took place against the backdrop of controversy surrounding Manchester City’s alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
Liverpool supporters displayed a banner reading “a generation of supporters cheated” to express their frustration over the financial case involving the Manchester club.
Reacting to questions about the controversy, Maresca said his attention remained focused on football rather than matters outside his control.
“I can not control things outside football, so why stress? I stress about game plan, day-by-day training sessions, but the rest it’s not in my hands,” he stated.
Manchester City’s emphatic win at Anfield marked a significant result in the Premier League campaign, while Liverpool were left to reflect on a disappointing afternoon after losing a player and conceding three second-half goals.