Manchester City beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, responding to their guilty verdict on more than 100 Premier League financial-rule charges with a victory that restored their three-point lead at the top of the table.
Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored in the second half after Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was dismissed for two yellow cards. The result extended City’s perfect start under Enzo Maresca and handed Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola his first defeat since taking charge.
City’s performance came amid continuing uncertainty over the consequences of the financial case. An independent commission found that the club and its Emirati owners had arranged “sham” deals to inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million between 2009 and 2018.
No punishment has yet been imposed. City face the possibility of a substantial points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League unless they overturn the decision on appeal, while retrospective action to remove titles has also been discussed.
The alleged breaches took place during a period in which City won three league titles and several other trophies. Liverpool finished runners-up to City three times in the past 12 years, making them one of the clubs most affected by their rivals’ dominance.
“There are so many moments and memories we can’t get back,” Liverpool fan Martin Reilly, 23, said. “They have to throw the book at them.”
City’s team arrived under a police escort, with supporters lining the streets to chant “cheats” and “going down”. Flags and scarves mocking the financial case were displayed around Anfield, while a banner in the Kop read: “a generation of supporters cheated.”
There was no repeat of the violent scenes that accompanied City’s team bus before a Champions League match in 2018, but the hostile reception created a charged atmosphere for a meeting that had previously been one of the Premier League’s defining fixtures.
Liverpool were without the injured Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo. Lewis Koumas offered a brief spark early in the second half, but his effort on his first Premier League start was kept out by City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City’s introduction of Doku from the bench changed the contest. The Belgian was brought down by Gravenberch, who received a second booking, and Liverpool struggled to recover with 10 men.
Haaland opened the scoring with a finish from Doku’s deflected shot 25 minutes from time. Doku then doubled the lead three minutes later with a curling strike into the top corner.
Cherki completed the scoring after exchanging passes with Josko Gvardiol before sliding the ball beneath Alisson Becker.
City midfielder Eliot Anderson said the visitors had shown “courage” in overcoming the atmosphere at Anfield.
“We have shown togetherness and fight, this is tough place to come and we have shown courage,” he said. “It [the noise from the Anfield crowd] was more than normal … Arriving and the first 10 minutes of the first half, but we quietened the crowd and improved in the second half.”
He added: “During the game you can feel it, and it is a game where you have to stick together and we did.”
