Andoni Iraola knows exactly what is at stake. If his time as Liverpool manager is going to be a success, Anfield has to become a fortress again. Right now, the numbers say the opposite.

Liverpool are winless in three Premier League home matches this season — and they have now gone five successive top-flight games at Anfield without a win (four draws, one defeat) stretching back into last season, just the second time that has happened in the club's history. They have won at Anfield in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup this term. In the league, the fortress is crumbling.

The latest setback was a 3-0 defeat by Manchester City, Liverpool's joint-biggest defeat at Anfield in the Premier League, sealed after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off in the 62nd minute. Gravenberch had made six Premier League appearances this season without scoring, contributing one assist (FotMob, 11 October 2026).

'They're an easy touch at the moment'

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock did not hold back when he assessed the mood around the club on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The best teams in the world are also horrible to play against. Liverpool aren't horrible. They're an easy touch at the moment. They have too many players that are nice and they have to change that part of things. Liverpool have got a lot of work to do. They don't have enough leaders at the moment, apart from Virgil van Dijk barking orders."

The aura is fading

Going back to the start of the calendar year, Liverpool have won just four of 13 Anfield Premier League matches — and they have actually won more matches away from home than at home over that period. Their home form has dropped off season by season since 2023-24, although this season is still a very small sample size.

Away sides still have a lower win percentage at Anfield (12.5 per cent) than at any other stadium in Premier League history, but that reputation is looking increasingly historical rather than current.

"When you go to Liverpool, especially when Jurgen Klopp was there, the crowd played such a major part. It feels like that's gone… I don't think the fans are quite on board at the minute with what's happening there. When we used to go there, I'd think, 'how are we going to get the ball?', because they were on top of you. Teams seem to have a lot more possession and look a bit more comfortable than they ever have."

That was the assessment of Paul Scholes, speaking on The Good, the Bad and the Football podcast in September. His former Manchester United team-mate Nicky Butt, on the same podcast, added: "The likes of Fulham five years ago are going to Anfield and they're beaten before they even go up the steps."

Seven goals — and six of them missing

Liverpool sit ninth in the Premier League and have scored just seven goals this season, only two of them at Anfield. Only seven teams have managed fewer. City, by contrast, have scored 16 — more than double.

Early in the first half against City, the cameras panned to Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai sitting together in the Main Stand at Anfield, all three out with injuries. Between them the trio have scored six of Liverpool's seven league goals this season, and on a day when City's attack showed their class, Liverpool showed no quality in the final third.

Across three league games at Anfield this season, Liverpool have failed to score in two of them. In Isak's absence, Lewis Koumas put in a great shift, but the 21-year-old lacks that killer edge in front of goal at this level.

Wirtz and Barcola under the spotlight

The focus must now fall on the summer signings Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola. This is the kind of game that demands a match-winning moment, and neither showed anywhere near the quality expected of a player carrying a price tag of more than £100m.

There was one moment at 0-0 in the 55th minute when Wirtz had Milos Kerkez and Barcola in acres of space to his left, but chose to shoot and fired wide.

Iraola: 'You learn a lot in games like today'

Iraola's unbeaten start is now over. The defeat by City was his first Premier League loss in 24 games (W10, D13) since January, a run that included his time at Bournemouth.

Speaking to Match of the Day, he said: "We played two different games. One until the red card, and then after. For 60 minutes, the players were very good. The second game from the red card was where City were better than us."

He added: "You learn a lot in games like today. I am very proud of my players. They put the work rate and everything in today. It's a loss and we didn't get anything from the performance but I liked it a lot."

But deep down, Iraola will know there is a lot of work to do — and getting the big-money signings to deliver will be high on his agenda.