City beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield as Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored after the hosts were reduced to 10 men, extending City’s perfect Premier League start.
Ryan Gravenberch’s second yellow card changed a goalless contest in the 62nd minute. City then struck through Haaland in the 65th, Doku in the 68th and Cherki in the 78th to secure a sixth win from six league games.
How City beat Liverpool after a tight first half
The first half ended without a goal, with both teams creating openings. City’s official match report records Victor Munoz threatening at one end and Enzo Fernandez forcing Alisson into a save at the other.
City had to keep a clean sheet before they could beat Liverpool, and Gianluigi Donnarumma made important saves early in the second half from Lewis Koumas and Gravenberch. City also had opportunities, with Milos Kerkez blocking Iliman Ndiaye and Haaland sending another chance wide.
Doku helps turn the game
Doku came on for Ndiaye in the 56th minute and quickly influenced the contest. Gravenberch received his second booking for a challenge on the winger, leaving Liverpool a player short.
City soon went ahead as they set out to beat Liverpool’s ten men. Doku cut inside and his blocked attempt reached Haaland, who struck powerfully past Alisson. The official scorer list records the goal at 65 minutes.
Doku then scored himself, moving inside before curling a shot into the top corner. Two goals in three minutes helped City beat Liverpool after an hour in which the match had remained level.
How Cherki helped City beat Liverpool
Cherki added the third after a move involving Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol. He met Gvardiol’s return ball in the area and finished past Alisson.
The goal sealed how City beat Liverpool and left the visitors with 18 points from six games, according to the club’s final report. City are three points ahead of Arsenal.
Our pre-match Anfield preview set out the opportunity to extend the winning start. The completed result confirms that sixth victory rather than leaving it as a possibility.
City beat Liverpool at Anfield for a second consecutive league win, following last season’s victory. City’s report says that is the first time the club has achieved successive league wins there since January 1953.
