Man City show their potential with signature win over Liverpool

Manchester, England — Manchester City put a marker in Premier League with the title race Impressive 3-0 win on the current champion liverpool At the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

erling holland An early penalty was saved before a good header midway through the first half gave City a deserved lead. virgil van dijk Thought he had equalized only to have his header ruled out because Andrew Robertson Was considered in offside position in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma,

City took full advantage of their dominance in the first half Nico Gonzalez Just before halftime he made the score 2–0 with a shot from outside the penalty area that was hit by Van Dijk, and jeremy doku Capped off his man of the match performance with a brilliant third in the second half.

The result moved City up to second in the table as they closed the gap on the leaders armory Mikel Arteta’s team had to be content with a draw with four points Sunderland On Saturday. –Rob Dawson

City’s victorious week shows just how good they are

It’s hard to tell where City are after a mixed start to the season, but this week has shown they are very good indeed.

Pep Guardiola’s team has departed AFC Bournemouth, borussia dortmund and Liverpool in the space of seven days. What’s more, all three performances were relatively impressive.

The first half against Liverpool was probably his best 45 minutes of the season. This could be his best 45 minutes since the 2023-24 season.

Guardiola has been cautious about toning down expectations after a poor 2024-25 campaign, but he is keeping them in check. uefa champions league The pace setters top the league stage table, are second in the Premier League, four points behind leaders Arsenal, and have to face the EFL Cup quarter-finals brentford Next month.

So far, so good.

There is still a long way to go this season – Guardiola himself pointed this out in his press conference on Friday. All City need to do is put themselves in a position to challenge for trophies in the new year and they are on track to do that.

Liverpool may not be at the level that saw them crowned champions six months ago, but it was still a convincing victory. –Dawson

Liverpool sees rivals disappear from sight

Perhaps the most apt description of Liverpool’s tumultuous season so far was provided in the second half at the Etihad, when the home supporters turned their backs on the action and celebrated the iconic “Poznań” celebration.

For Arne Slott’s side, seeing their old rivals enjoy such an emphatic victory represents a new nadir in a campaign that has veered from the sublime to the ridiculous. After a promising week in which they beat both Aston Villa And real MadridSunday’s clash against a rising city proved just a bridge too far.

Ultimately, the game was lost in the first half, with Liverpool unable to replicate the quality and intensity that helped them beat Madrid so impressively in midweek. Slott may well point to the fact that luck was not on his side; City’s early penalty (which was well saved Giorgi Mamardashvili) seemed like a harsh decision, while Van Dijk’s controversial disallowed goal – which would have made it 1–1 in the first half – undoubtedly turned the momentum in City’s favour.

Still, the truth is that Liverpool have not been that good this season. After 11 league games, they have already suffered five defeats – more than last term – and have now lost every game in which they have conceded the first goal.

After the defeat to City, Liverpool are four points behind Guardiola’s team and eight behind leaders Arsenal. If the Reds can’t find a way to recover the mentality that helped them win the title last season, they may soon find that their two biggest rivals are completely out of sight. –Beth Lindop

Doku looks relentless – and invincible

What a performance from the Man City winger. He caused havoc down City’s left side all afternoon and produced a wonderful performance with a spectacular goal.

connor bradley look comfortable against Vinicius Junior on Tuesday, but he couldn’t handle Doku. belgium International won an early penalty which Haaland missed, and every time he got the ball, there was a feeling inside the stadium that something was about to happen.

At one point in the first half, he was having so much success against Bradley that the slot ordered Ryan Gravenberch To double. None of the efforts made by Liverpool were working, and it was only when Doku was substituted on 73 minutes that the suffering stopped.

His goal, a cut in from the left and a right-footed shot into the far corner, was so good that there were sounds of “oohs” and “aahs” from City fans when it was replayed on the big screen.

Doku has shown glimpses of his potential since arriving Stade Rennais In 2023. However, this season, he has been doing so consistently.

His ability in one-vs-one situations is so good that when he plays like this, he is almost impossible to stop. –Dawson

Liverpool’s defense could be their undoing in 2025-26

As Liverpool wrapped up their impressive win over Real Madrid on Tuesday, Bradley’s name echoed around the stadium. The home supporters at Anfield were eager to cheer the right back as he produced arguably the most impressive performance of his career, making superb saves to keep out the tricky Vinicius.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, Bradley could not match that level of performance against City and was part of a defense that struggled to stop the excellent Doku, especially in the first half. with him, Ibrahima Konate Also endured a difficult afternoon and was dismissed by Haaland for the hosts’ opener, while Robertson was substituted. Milos Kerkez At the beginning of the second half.

After keeping consecutive clean sheets against Villa and Madrid, it was a reminder that Liverpool still have work to do defensively if they hope to salvage anything from this season. return of goalkeeper Alison Baker This will help build confidence amongst the backline after the international break, but the Reds’ poor defense looks like it could be very bad for them this term. — Lindop

In top form, Haaland is rewriting the record books

Missing an early penalty in a big game can have a negative impact on many strikers.

Not Holland. He saw his spot-kick saved by Mamardashvili in the ninth minute, but that did not stop the Norway international from making his mark.

mattheus nunes He was clever in delaying the cross from his right long enough for Robertson to turn his back. The ball in the box was of quality. However, after that, it was all about Haaland.

He headed towards the back post and got the better of Konate and headed the ball back across goal and into the corner. In many ways, it was a typical Haaland goal.

He was not the star against Liverpool, but still scored his 19th goal of the season and his 14th in 11 Premier League games. The 25-year-old has also scored 99 Premier League goals in just 108 matches.

Those are hardly credible numbers.

Alan Shearer, the top goalscorer in Premier League history, needed 124 games to reach 100 goals. Given Haaland’s form, it is unlikely he will need another 16 games to reach the 100 club. Another record is going to be made. –Dawson

Looks like Salah’s best days are behind him

If it was against City at the Etihad last season mohammed salah Enjoyed one of his finest outings in a Liverpool shirt, then at the same ground the forward’s recent decline this term was exposed.

in February, egypt International scores Liverpool openers and assists Dominic Szoboszlai En route to his second win, which saw him take a huge step towards the title. However, on Sunday Salah worked hard against eccentric players Nico O’Reilly Liverpool suffered another bad defeat.

It is a credit to the 33-year-old that he fought till the end, even after spurning a great chance late in the second half. But, despite scoring in Liverpool’s last two league games (against Brentford and Aston Villa), he looked like a shadow of his former form against City, failing to hit the target with any of his three shots.

Salah has performed so well in recent outings that it suggests Father Time has not yet caught up with him, but his latest performance proves his days as Liverpool’s main man may be behind him. — Lindop