Liverpool suffered a crushing defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad, with goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez, and Jeremy Doku, severely impacting their Premier League title aspirations.
Liverpool delivered a “woeful display,” losing 3-0 to Manchester City at the Etihad, a result which analysts suggest has virtually ended the Reds’ Premier League title defense hopes.
According to reports following the match played today, Liverpool suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, marking a sluggish performance that saw the Reds’ title defense hopes take a major blow. Arne Slot’s side was outplayed across all departments.
Liverpool Player ratings
Goalkeeper
Giorgi Mamardashvili – 7/10
The goalkeeper’s performance was mixed, but he redeemed himself by making a brilliant save to deny Erling Haaland’s early penalty. Despite this, he was forced to pick the ball out of the net three times following the defensive collapse ahead of him.
Defenders
Conor Bradley – 3/10
A difficult afternoon for the full-back, who was ruthlessly exposed by Jeremy Doku’s pace and dribbling ability on City’s left flank. He was notably involved in the defensive mix-up that conceded the early spot-kick.
Ibrahima Konate – 3/10
The central defender was unusually shaky, struggling to cope with the hosts’ movement. He was beaten in the air by Haaland for City’s opening headed goal.
Virgil van Dijk – 4/10
The skipper was unable to solidify the back line. He saw a powerful header disallowed for offside in the build-up and was unfortunate to have Nico Gonzalez’s strike deflect off his outstretched boot for City’s second goal.
Andy Robertson – 4/10
The left-back was uncharacteristically quiet and failed to provide his usual attacking threat. He was judged to be interfering with play during Van Dijk’s disallowed goal, compounding a sub-par defensive effort.
Midfielders
Alexis Mac Allister – 5/10
The midfielder attempted to control the tempo in the center of the pitch but was ultimately overrun by City’s dominant engine room, failing to dictate play effectively.
Ryan Gravenberch – 5/10
Showed flashes of energy but lacked the necessary defensive tenacity to support the exposed back four, making minimal contribution when the team was under pressure.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 5/10
The Hungarian playmaker struggled to exert any meaningful influence in the final third, finding himself neutralized by City’s midfield structure and unable to deliver the requisite quality.
Attackers
Mohamed Salah – 6/10
Despite the scoreline, the Egyptian was arguably Liverpool’s biggest threat, although his service was poor. He was the source of the corner that led to the disallowed goal but often had to drop too deep to receive possession.
Florian Wirtz – 5/10
A quiet appearance for the winger, who struggled to get involved in play, and lacked the necessary incision to break down City’s resolute defense.
Hugo Ekitike – 4/10
The striker was isolated for large spells, unable to hold up the ball effectively or generate any significant scoring opportunities to trouble the City center-backs.