Ten-man Liverpool crushed as booed Man City win at Anfield
Manchester City answered the boos at Anfield in the most emphatic way possible. In their first match since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, Enzo Maresca's side beat ten-man Liverpool 3-0 on Sunday to extend their perfect start to six wins from six.
A hostile welcome
The atmosphere was febrile from the start. According to ESPN, City were booed at every opportunity and labelled cheats by the home crowd, the first public test of how opponents and supporters would react to last month's verdict. On the pitch, at least, it made no difference to the visitors.
The turning point
For an hour, the game was evenly balanced and goalless. Liverpool had their moments, and Andoni Iraola felt his side were the better team. Everything changed in the 62nd minute.
Ryan Gravenberch had been booked early in the second half for a foul on Elliot Anderson, and he was shown a second yellow card by referee Chris Kavanagh for a late challenge on Jeremy Doku. Within three minutes, City were ahead.
Ruthless City
Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, putting to rest any concerns about his fitness after he limped off for Norway during the international break. Three minutes later, Doku cut inside and curled a superb shot into the top corner from outside the box, with Anderson providing the assist.
Rayan Cherki, who scored for France during the break, completed the scoring in the 78th minute as City took full advantage of the extra player.
Iraola: 'Two different games'
Iraola was clear about where he felt the match was lost. He said Liverpool had effectively played two games, one until the red card and one after it, and that his team had been the better side for the first 62 minutes.
He was particularly unhappy with Gravenberch's first booking. According to ESPN and the Evening Standard, Iraola said that challenge should never have been a yellow card, describing it as a minor contact, and suggested it left his side in trouble. He accepted that City were better after the dismissal and took their chances.
What it means
The result is Liverpool's first league defeat of the season and leaves them on nine points from six games. City now have 18 points and sit three points clear of Arsenal, who beat Leeds on Saturday.
For City, it was another reminder that the off-field uncertainty, with an appeal pending and sanctions still to be decided, has yet to affect their football. They now turn their attention to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Photo: Arne Müseler / arne-mueseler.com / CC-BY-SA-3.0