Gravenberch Red Card Spurs Man City 3-0 Win Over 10-Man Liverpool
Manchester City struck three times in 13 second-half minutes after Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal, with Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki turning a tightly contested game into a crushing defeat for 10-man Liverpool.
Liverpool had contained City for more than an hour and found promising counter-attacking positions, but Gravenberch’s second yellow card in the 62nd minute changed the contest immediately. City scored within three minutes of the sending-off and exposed major gaps through the middle as Liverpool’s defensive shape broke apart.
City seize control after red card
Haaland opened the scoring in the 66th minute after Doku’s attempt was blocked and the ball deflected invitingly off Alexis Mac Allister into the striker’s path. Florian Wirtz was withdrawn straight after the goal, having endured a difficult afternoon marked by misplaced passes and ineffective dead-ball delivery.
Doku then produced the standout individual moment, cutting inside past Víctor Muñoz too easily before firing City’s second. Cherki completed the burst late on, beating substitute Jeremie Frimpong with sharp footwork before scoring the third.
Alisson Becker had faced little serious work before the interval but finished with three goals conceded from four efforts on target. Liverpool’s goalkeeper was repeatedly left exposed once the visitors had the extra man.
Liverpool’s resistance falls apart
Gravenberch had been Liverpool’s driving force until his sending-off, controlling midfield and setting the tempo in a display compared by Jamie Carragher to Patrick Vieira. His second booking, however, proved the decisive error.
Mac Allister competed strongly against City’s midfield before the physical demands of playing a man down caught up with him. Virgil van Dijk had stepped aggressively into midfield to disrupt City in the opening stages, but the captain could not hold together an increasingly stretched back line and was booked in stoppage time.
Ronald Araujo had also been restricted by an early caution for dissent in the eighth minute. He was replaced by Frimpong in the 75th minute after a respectable first half. Jules Jacquet won several physical duels on his central-defence start but struggled once City began finding space in the central lanes, departing in the 88th minute.
Milos Kerkez was among Liverpool’s better performers. He made a vital intervention to prevent Antoine Semenyo from a clear chance in the 50th minute and showed his frustration when Wirtz failed to release him during attacking breaks.
Young forwards show flashes before late collapse
Lewis Koumas worked tirelessly on his first Premier League start, pressing Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi and forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a save with a fierce effort. He made way for Rio Ngumoha in the 75th minute.
Bradley Barcola tracked back effectively before the break and later created a chance for Koumas, but he lacked a decisive final action and was guilty of overlooking options on counter-attacks. He was substituted in the 88th minute alongside Jacquet.
Muñoz reached useful attacking areas and had attempts at goal, but became vulnerable defensively after the interval, particularly for Doku’s goal. Trey Nyoni entered for Wirtz in the 66th minute but faced an overwhelming City side in possession.
Frimpong endured a harsh introduction after replacing Araujo, with Cherki beating him before the third goal. Ngumoha was unable to alter the momentum after coming on for Koumas, while Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa arrived in the 88th minute with the contest already decided.
What happens next
Andoni Iraola’s initial plan had frustrated City, limiting their rhythm and creating transition opportunities for Liverpool. The immediate task is to address the collapse following Gravenberch’s red card, with Liverpool conceding the opener before they had been able to reset their shape.
