Manchester City beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 to maintain perfect start
Manchester City stayed perfect at the Premier League summit with a 3-0 win over 10-man Liverpool at Anfield, extending their opening run to six victories from six matches.
Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki struck after the break as City overcame a fiercely hostile reception in their first outing since being found guilty of 114 Premier League financial-rule charges.
How City broke Liverpool
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Liverpool began the second half with purpose. Gianluigi Donnarumma made rapid saves from Lewis Koumas and Ryan Gravenberch, while Alexis Mac Allister bent an effort wide.
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Haaland then wasted a major opening when Antoine Semenyo sent him through, his first effort in the Liverpool area rolling off target.
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The turning point came when Gravenberch collected a second yellow card, leaving Liverpool with 10 players.
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City capitalised three minutes later. Doku, on for Iliman Ndiaye, had an attempt kept out, but Haaland followed in to drive the rebound home in the 65th minute.
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Doku made it 2-0 three minutes afterwards, curling a superb finish into the top-right corner.
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Cherki completed the scoring, getting in behind the home defence before finishing from close range.
Hostile start, decisive finish
Liverpool supporters jeered City players throughout a tense opening period, but Enzo Maresca’s side gradually settled and neutralised the early edge in the atmosphere. Neither team created a clear opening before half-time.
The defeat ends Liverpool’s latest unbeaten league sequence at Anfield. Their previous home Premier League loss had also come against City, a 2-1 reverse in February.
What happens next
City will take their 100 per cent Premier League record into the next round of fixtures, while Liverpool must respond after a damaging home defeat and Gravenberch’s dismissal.
