How Manchester City won at Anfield
The game was goalless at half-time and stayed that way for an hour. Liverpool, managed by Andoni Iraola, and City, under Enzo Maresca, both lined up 4-2-3-1. City had produced 0.16 expected goals before the red card, according to Sky Sports; once Liverpool were down to ten men, they scored three times in 13 minutes. All three goals were City's:
- 65': Erling Haaland, a left-footed shot from the center of the box. Liverpool 0, Manchester City 1.
- 68': Jérémy Doku, a right-footed shot from the left side of the box into the top right corner, assisted by Elliot Anderson. Liverpool 0, Manchester City 2.
- 78': Rayan Cherki, from very close range after a headed pass from Josko Gvardiol. Liverpool 0, Manchester City 3.
Two of City's substitutes were involved. Doku came on for Iliman Ndiaye in the 56th minute, was fouled for Gravenberch's second booking six minutes later and scored the second goal. Gvardiol replaced Nico O'Reilly, who had been booked in the 58th minute, in the 66th and set up the third. Haaland made way for Allan Elias in the 80th minute, when Ayyoub Bouaddi also replaced Enzo Fernández.
The red card and the other turning points
Referee Chris Kavanagh booked Gravenberch in the 47th minute for a foul on Elliot Anderson and showed him a second yellow card in the 62nd for a foul on Doku, ESPN reported. Gary Neville called the second booking "very soft" on Sky Sports' commentary. Ronald Araújo had already been booked in the eighth minute; Iraola said it was for complaining after a handball by Marc Guéhi.
I think the first foul of Ryan is never a yellow card, never.
Andoni Iraola, Liverpool manager, to ESPN
Iraola also said Liverpool "were the better team until the red card in the first 62 minutes" and that City were better after it. A dismissal for two bookings carries a one-match ban, so Gravenberch is due to miss Liverpool's next league game.
Liverpool's changes came after City had taken the lead: Trey Nyoni replaced Florian Wirtz in the 66th minute, Jeremie Frimpong and Rio Ngumoha came on for Araújo and Lewis Koumas in the 75th, and Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa replaced Jérémy Jacquet and Bradley Barcola in the 88th. Bouaddi was booked in the 86th minute and Virgil van Dijk in stoppage time.
It was City's first match since an independent commission found the club guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules; City deny wrongdoing and have appealed, ESPN noted. Maresca spoke about the conditions at Anfield afterward.
We need to learn how to deal with the noise because it will be with us in all the away games.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City manager, to Sky Sports
Liverpool vs Manchester City stats
Liverpool had more shots on target, six to four, and Gianluigi Donnarumma made six saves; Alisson Becker made one. City kept the ball for 64.6 percent of the match and attempted 551 passes to Liverpool's 296. Liverpool committed 19 fouls to City's 14.
| Liverpool | Manchester City | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 35.4% | 64.6% |
| Shots | 13 | 15 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 4 |
| Saves | 1 | 6 |
| Passes (completed) | 296 (80%) | 551 (89%) |
| Corners | 5 | 6 |
| Fouls | 19 | 14 |
| Offsides | 2 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 2 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 |
What it means for the Premier League table
Manchester City arrived top with 15 points from five wins and Liverpool sixth with nine, from two wins and three draws. After matchweek 6, City have 18 points, three more than second-placed Arsenal, and are the only side with a perfect record. Liverpool's first league defeat of the season leaves them ninth on nine points, nine behind City and one behind Brentford, Everton and Chelsea, who sit fourth to sixth on 10 points. Liverpool's goal difference is now zero, seven scored and seven conceded.
The matchweek is not complete: Newcastle United, 11th with eight points from five games, play at Coventry City on Monday, 12 October. The live Premier League table updates with that result, and our study of how many points win the Premier League title puts City's 18 from six in context.
What's next for Liverpool and Manchester City
- Liverpool: Brentford (away), Saturday 17 October 2026, 15:00 BST.
- Manchester City: Ipswich Town (home), Saturday 17 October 2026, 15:00 BST.
All of the weekend's games are on the Premier League fixtures page, and the Premier League simulator lets you play out the rest of the season from the current table.
How this report was built: the score, goals, assists, cards, substitutions, lineups and match statistics come from ESPN's match data, and the table before and after matchweek 6 is our own, computed from ESPN's full-time results. The referee's name, the description of the bookings and the quotes come from ESPN and Sky Sports.