Erling Haaland scored his 99th Premier League (PL) goal as Manchester City produced a commanding performance to defeat Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium, extending the Reds’ miserable away form to four straight PL defeats,their worst such run since 2012, Softfootball reports.
City came into this clash on the back of an emphatic 4-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League last week, and they carried that momentum straight into the domestic contest. Pep Guardiola’s men started like a team full of belief, winning nine of their last ten home league games before this encounter.
Liverpool, who were brimming with confidence after their own impressive Champions League win over Real Madrid, looked eager early on but were quickly forced on the back foot. City’s relentless pressing paid off when Giorgi Mamardashvili brought down Jérémy Doku in the box after the winger stole possession from Ibrahima Konaté. The Georgian keeper, however, redeemed himself by saving Haaland’s spot-kick to keep Liverpool level.
Still, City’s intensity didn’t drop. Rayan Cherki’s curling shot clipped over the bar before Doku forced another smart stop from Mamardashvili. The pressure finally told on the 29th minute when Haaland made amends for his earlier miss, rising above Konaté to nod home Matheus Nunes’ pinpoint cross and put City ahead.
Liverpool thought they had equalized shortly before halftime when Virgil van Dijk powered in a header from Mohamed Salah’s corner, but VAR ruled it out for offside against Andrew Robertson. That setback was followed by another blow in stoppage time as Van Dijk inadvertently deflected Nico González’s shot past his own goalkeeper, giving City a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into the break.
The visitors briefly showed signs of life after the restart, with Conor Bradley and Cody Gakpo combining well down the right, though neither could convert from close range. But Jérémy Doku put the game to bed in style, cutting inside and curling a beautiful effort into the far corner to make it 3-0 and crown a sensational individual performance.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah both went close late on, but Gianluigi Donnarumma stood firm to deny any chance of a late comeback.
The result marks City’s seventh win in eight games across all competitions, moving them to within four points of league leaders Arsenal and capping off Pep Guardiola’s 1000th game in management in stunning fashion.
After the game Manchester City via its official X handle shared an exclusive video showing pep guardiola reacting and thanking the fans for his 1000th victory as a club manager. They posted:
For Liverpool, however, it was another frustrating away day. Arne Slot’s side have now lost six of their last seven domestic fixtures and dropped to eighth place, four points further adrift of the top four. Their Champions League heroics at Anfield felt like a distant memory as they were thoroughly outclassed by a ruthless City side that once again showed their title credentials.
