Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium to move within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Gatekeepers News reports that Erling Haaland redeemed himself after an early penalty miss by nodding home his 99th Premier League goal, before Nico González’s deflected strike and a brilliant solo finish from Jeremy Doku sealed a dominant win for the reigning champions.
The victory reaffirmed City’s title credentials, while Liverpool’s struggles deepened, with the Reds now losing four of their last five league fixtures and slipping to eighth place — eight points behind the top spot.
Guardiola’s men took full advantage of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Sunderland, showing once again why they remain the biggest threat to Mikel Arteta’s side. Despite Liverpool’s recent morale-boosting victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, they were completely outclassed by a City side oozing confidence and precision.
Doku tormented Liverpool’s defence throughout, forcing a VAR-awarded penalty after being clipped by goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, though Haaland’s effort was impressively saved. The Norwegian soon made amends, rising highest to glance in Matheus Nunes’ cross for the opener on 29 minutes.
Liverpool thought they had equalised through Virgil van Dijk, but the goal was ruled out for offside interference by Andy Robertson. Moments later, City doubled their advantage as González’s strike deflected off Van Dijk, wrong-footing Mamardashvili.
Cody Gakpo wasted a golden chance to bring Liverpool back into the contest before Doku sealed the result with a stunning curling effort from outside the box — capping what many fans hailed online as one of his finest performances in a City shirt.
Mohamed Salah’s late miss summed up Liverpool’s frustrating afternoon, as they failed to convert their few chances. Despite a desperate need for goals, manager Arne Slot left £125 million signing Alexander Isak on the bench, citing fitness issues — a decision that drew widespread criticism from supporters.
With this victory, City have now won 11 of their last 14 games across all competitions and look firmly set on challenging Arsenal for the crown.
