Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management with a dominant 3-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, closing the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to just four points.
Erling Haaland, who had missed an early penalty, made amends by heading home his 99th Premier League goal before Nico Gonzalez’s deflected strike and a stunning solo effort from Jeremy Doku sealed a comprehensive win for the champions.
The result underlined City’s title credentials while exposing Liverpool’s ongoing struggles. The Reds have now suffered four defeats in their last five league outings, slipping to eighth on the table and eight points behind the leaders.
Arsenal’s 10-match winning streak had ended the previous day in a 2-2 draw against Sunderland, a setback City ruthlessly capitalized on.
Arne Slot’s side had shown signs of recovery with recent wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but they were no match for City’s fluid attack and relentless pressing.
Doku, in particular, was a constant menace for Liverpool’s defence, tormenting Conor Bradley on the left flank.
The Belgian winger’s pace and skill eventually earned City a penalty after a VAR review, but Haaland’s effort was saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Undeterred, City continued to dominate. Haaland finally found the breakthrough in the 29th minute, looping a precise header from Matheus Nunes’ cross.
Liverpool briefly thought they had equalized when Virgil van Dijk powered home a header, only for Andy Robertson to be judged offside for obstructing Donnarumma’s view.
Moments later, Gonzalez doubled City’s advantage with a strike that deflected off Van Dijk and wrong-footed Mamardashvili. Cody Gakpo squandered a golden chance to bring Liverpool back into contention after fine work from Mohamed Salah, blazing over with the goal at his mercy.
Doku then put the result beyond doubt, dancing past Ibrahima Konate before curling a sensational shot into the top corner to round off a man-of-the-match performance. Salah’s late miss, dinking wide from close range, summed up a frustrating afternoon for the Reds.
For Slot, the decision to leave £125 million forward Alexander Isak on the bench due to fitness concerns added further scrutiny to his management.
Despite a summer outlay of nearly £450 million to reshape the squad, Liverpool’s season now looks destined to be a fight for the top four rather than a title challenge, while Guardiola’s City march on in pursuit of yet another crown.
