Liverpool suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, their fourth loss in five Premier League games, leaving the defending champions in eighth place, eight points off the top.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring with a 29th-minute header, having earlier missed a penalty that was saved by Manchester City goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Nico Gonzalez added a second with a deflected strike, and Jeremy Doku capped the win with a stunning curling effort from outside the box.
Liverpool struggled to cope with City’s pace and precision, particularly down the left where Doku repeatedly troubled the Reds’ defence. Virgil van Dijk’s header appeared to pull Liverpool level, but Andrew Robertson was ruled offside after interfering with the goalkeeper.
Despite recent wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, Liverpool could not find a response. Captain van Dijk said: “Our pressing just wasn’t good enough; it should have been better. Losing hurts, always, but 3-0 especially. The focus should be on reflecting on this when we come back and then fight again.”
Doku, who was instrumental in the win, praised his teammates: “It is always good for the confidence [to dominate a match], but I have great players around me. That gives me the feeling that I have to do more in every game and every day I want to improve.”
The victory also marked a milestone for City manager Pep Guardiola, who celebrated his 1,000th game in management in style, confirming Manchester City as strong challengers to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.