Liverpool 0‑3 Manchester City: Haaland leads scoring burst after Gravenberch dismissal

Three goals in 13 minutes after Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal sent Manchester City to a 3-0 win at Liverpool and a sixth consecutive Premier League victory. The match was goalless when Gravenberch received his second yellow card in the 62nd minute; Erling Haaland opened the scoring three minutes later, with Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki following him onto the scoresheet.

HIGHLIGHTS | City return with Anfield win | Liverpool 0-3 Man City | Haaland, Doku & Cherki goals

Liverpool and Manchester City reached half-time at 0-0, and the deadlock survived the opening quarter-hour of the second half. Ronald Araújo had received an early booking, but Gravenberch’s two cautions after the interval became the central incidents in a match that produced all its goals after Liverpool went down to ten men.

Gravenberch was booked for a foul in the 47th minute and received another yellow for a foul in the 62nd. With the score still level, his dismissal left Liverpool facing the league leaders a player short, and Manchester City needed only three minutes to take advantage.

Haaland struck in the 65th minute to give the visitors the lead. Liverpool introduced Trey Nyoni a minute later, but the opening goal had already arrived before they could make their first change following the sending-off — a sequence manager Andoni Iraola highlighted in his assessment of the defeat.

Doku doubled the advantage in the 68th minute, assisted by Elliot Anderson. Having replaced Iliman Ndiaye in the 56th minute, the winger scored just 12 minutes after coming on. Manchester City had gone from level to two goals ahead in the six minutes following Gravenberch’s departure.

The visitors’ bench contributed again to the third goal. Joško Gvardiol replaced Nico O’Reilly in the 66th minute and supplied the assist for Cherki to score in the 78th. Doku’s goal and Gvardiol’s assist gave Manchester City two direct contributions from substitutes during the spell that decided the result.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said the red card changed the game, and Iraola offered the same explanation. The Liverpool manager believed his team were playing their best football when Gravenberch was sent off, praising the midfielder’s ball carrying and defensive work before the dismissal.

Iraola also challenged the first booking, describing it as too soft. He argued that Anderson had continued for a couple of steps and that referee Chris Kavanagh had not appeared ready to award a foul. That was the manager’s objection to the decision that put Gravenberch on a yellow card 15 minutes before his second caution.

His wider assessment was not simply a criticism of the disciplinary decisions. Iraola praised Liverpool’s intensity and their work in duels, while stressing how quickly Manchester City scored once his side had been reduced to ten men. For Liverpool, the frustration lay in reaching the hour without conceding, then losing both a midfielder and the deadlock in quick succession.

The statistics show why the final margin needs more context than the score alone. Manchester City finished with 65% possession and 15 shots to Liverpool’s 13, but Liverpool registered six attempts on target against the visitors’ four. A three-goal defeat did not come with a comparable gap in the number of chances directed on target.

Those full-match totals do not separate the periods before and after the dismissal. The decisive contrast is in the timing of the goals: Liverpool kept Manchester City scoreless until the 65th minute, then conceded three times by the 78th. Manchester City turned their numerical advantage into goals rather than leaving Liverpool a route back into the match.

The victory extended Manchester City’s winning run to eight matches and delivered a third successive away clean sheet. They have scored in each of their past eight games, while their league record now stands at six wins from six, with a goal difference of plus 11.

Liverpool suffered their first defeat after eight unbeaten matches. Their league record is now two wins, three draws and one loss, leaving them ninth with nine points. The defeat also leaves them nine points behind Manchester City after six fixtures.

For the best moments, the official Man City channel has published “HIGHLIGHTS | City return with Anfield win | Liverpool 0-3 Man City | Haaland, Doku & Cherki goals”. The goals to revisit are Haaland’s opener in the 65th minute, Doku’s second in the 68th and Cherki’s finish in the 78th.

Manchester City leave Anfield top of the table with 18 points and their perfect league record intact. Liverpool’s next league match is away to Brentford, where Gravenberch will be suspended — an immediate selection consequence for Iraola as his side seek to respond to their first league defeat.

Questions

Why was Ryan Gravenberch sent off?

Gravenberch received yellow cards for fouls in the 47th and 62nd minutes. His second booking resulted in a red card, with the score still 0-0.

Will Gravenberch miss Liverpool’s next match?

He is suspended for Liverpool’s next Premier League match, away to Brentford.

Where does the result leave Manchester City and Liverpool?

Manchester City are first with 18 points from six matches, having won all six. Liverpool are ninth with nine points, nine behind the leaders.

What is a clean sheet?

A clean sheet means a team finishes a match without conceding a goal. Manchester City’s 3-0 win was their third consecutive away clean sheet.