Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 3-0; the Home Team was Better Prepared

Karun Abraham

Sports Journalist

“Milestone night, with ruthless flanks, and a Haaland-Doku masterclass, City controlled the game with Liverpool playing second fiddle to the rest of City.”

Disappointing Night for the Reds

Manchester City trampled over Liverpool with a 3-0 score at the Etihad, marking this as Guardiola’s 1,000th match to end in a dominating victory, along with points and reaching second place in the table. The score started with Halland in the 29th minute, making the score 1-0 after missing the penalty in the 12th minute. The next score was in the last seconds of the first half in 45+3’ minute when Gonazales fouled the lead, leaving the Reds trailing for the first half.

The second half was not any better for the away team, with Doku curling a shot in the 63rd minute, leaving no doubt for the match winner. There was a chance for a comeback when a corner kick had a header from van Dijk that was sadly ruled out because of Robertson for interfering due to an offside position, leaving a clean sheet for City. For more exciting matches like this, book your English Premier League tickets via 1BoxOffice for the best deals.

First Half - Penalty twist, then Haaland & Nico Delivers

City set the tone for the match early with their wing plan, and Doku won a penalty, but Haaland wasn’t able to score against Mamardashvili. The miss did not rattle Manchester City, and with a shot from Nunes, Haaland was given the best chance to make up for it, and the score was 1-0 in the 29th minute.

Liverpool briefly levelled the score when a corner led to a classic van Dijk header, but it was ruled out as offside for interference from Robertson. Finally, in 45+3 minutes, Gonzales scored a low effort shot into the net, making the score 2-0 and leaving a hot potato for the Reds to handle before the first half ended.

Second Half - Doku’s Dagger and Game Management

Man City kept on pushing and had the gas on the pedal for the rest of the game, which led to Doku finishing his 100th City appearance with a goal in the 63rd minute, making the score 3-0. With this score, all City had to do was manage the game, not concede any goals and finish with a clean sheet.

Liverpool tried their best with their best moments coming from Szoboszlai and Salah with their attempts to score, but they failed as the defence for the home team was very strong and left no room for the Reds to manoeuvre and with the third goal Manchester City had gone into rest defence and the match ended with a 3-0 score ending any chance for even a draw for Liverpool.

Tactical Snapshot

Manchester City

• Wing Superiority: Doku isolated his marker countless times; with his excellent form and his goal, he kept the Liverpool defence in knots.
• Press then possess: City’s counter-press kept Liverpool penned, turning clearances into second-phase attacks and denying clean counter-attacking routes.
• Milestone composure: City tilted the shot map towards high-value zones and protected central lanes much more aggressively after the 2-0 for risk management.

Liverpool

• Flank funnelled: City’s total block in the central lane pushed Liverpool into the wide areas. The disallowed header from van Dijk was the biggest what-if before the interval.
• Moments, not control: There were half-chances from players like Salah that felt more personal inventions than actual match tactics; the Reds were not in their element this game.

Standout Performances

• Jeremy Doku (City) - Player of the Match: Won the early penalty, sealed the game with a superb curler, and was relentless in his 1v1 threat.
• Erling Haaland (City): Missed a penalty but made up for it with the first goal, and kept the pressure on the Liverpool defence.
• Nico Gonzales (City): Timely strike for the second goal, and maintained tidy link work in the midfield.

In our match preview, we predicted a 2-2 scoreline, and we could not have been more wrong. Our prediction was based on Liverpool's match against Real Madrid, read about it here, but this team was too out of sync to score any goals.

Match Ratings

Aftermath and Implications

This was a win according to City blueprints in a nutshell; win the edges, own transitions and lock the middle out for control once ahead. This victory arrives on a landmark night for City manager Pep Guardiola. City also has their European Match on the 25th November, book your Manchester City vs Bayer Leverkusen Champions League tickets fast before they sell out.

For Liverpool, this is just another showcase of how much they have to improve in their team management, and that there is much work for the Reds manager, Arne Slot, to do. Liverpool, on the other hand, is looking for another European night on the 26th of November after their victory against Real Madrid. Book your Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven Champions League tickets via 1BoxOffice.

Be Part of the Action

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