Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola’s 1000th match in management with a commanding 3-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, cutting Arsenal’s Premier League lead to just four points.
Erling Haaland shook off an early penalty miss to score his 99th Premier League goal, while Nico Gonzalez’s deflected strike and a brilliant solo effort from Jeremy Doku sealed a dominant win for the champions.
The result leaves Liverpool languishing in eighth place, having lost four of their last five league matches, eight points off the top of the table.
City Dominate as Doku Shines
Arsenal’s 10-match winning streak ended in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland earlier on Saturday, giving City a perfect opportunity to capitalize — and Guardiola’s men did just that in convincing fashion.
Liverpool, led by Arne Slot, came into the clash buoyed by recent wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but they were no match for City’s fluid and ruthless attack. Doku, in particular, was unstoppable, tormenting Conor Bradley with his speed and trickery throughout the match.
Haaland’s early penalty miss — saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili after a VAR review confirmed a foul on Doku — only delayed the inevitable. The Norwegian striker, who has now failed to score in just two of his 18 appearances this season, opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a looping header from Matheus Nunes’ superb cross.
Liverpool thought they had equalized when Virgil van Dijk’s header found the net, but Andy Robertson was adjudged offside for interfering with Donnarumma’s view, denying the visitors a lifeline.
Clinical City, Frustrated Reds
Moments later, Gonzalez doubled City’s lead with a shot that deflected off Van Dijk to wrong-foot Mamardashvili. Liverpool’s defensive lapses continued, and Cody Gakpo wasted a golden opportunity early in the second half, blazing over from close range after good work from Mohamed Salah and Bradley.
City punished the miss ruthlessly. Doku capped his outstanding performance with a stunning strike — cutting inside Ibrahima Konate before curling the ball into the top corner from outside the box — a goal that perfectly summed up City’s superiority.
Salah missed another clear chance late on, chipping wide with only the goalkeeper to beat, as Liverpool’s frustrations mounted. Despite his team’s dire need for goals, manager Arne Slot opted to leave £125 million signing Alexander Isak on the bench, citing fitness concerns.
The defeat highlights Liverpool’s ongoing struggles following a summer spending spree of nearly £450 million that has yet to produce results. Meanwhile, Guardiola’s City continue to show why they remain Arsenal’s strongest title challengers.
