Manchester City arrived on Merseyside with a 100 per cent record in the Premier League this season — and left with it intact, beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in a match that turned on a red card just after the hour.

Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki were the scorers for City, who had been held at 0-0 until Ryan Gravenberch was sent off in the 62nd minute as reported on 11–12 October 2026. For Liverpool it became a joint-biggest defeat at Anfield in the Premier League, and their fifth successive winless league game at home.

'The game changed on the red card'

The dismissal dominated the post-match analysis. Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane described the collapse of Liverpool's shape in blunt terms.

"Liverpool struggled with the physicality. There were spaces everywhere. Liverpool looked like they had four men sent off. City were controlling it. For the first hour it was a tight game."

Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge agreed that the match hinged on the sending off, telling Sky Sports: "The game changed on the red card. We have to be truthful about that. City delivered after the red card changed the game. Prior to that, it was very even."

Jamie Carragher also criticised the sending off in his own Sky Sports analysis of the incident.

Iraola: two different games

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola made the same point in his own assessment, telling Match of the Day: "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."

City's firepower against Liverpool's shortage

The scoreline reflected a widening gap in attack. City have now scored 16 Premier League goals this season, more than double Liverpool's seven, and the visitors' class in the final third was on full display once the game opened up.

The win also ended Iraola's unbeaten start: it was his first Premier League defeat in 24 games (W10, D13) since January, including his time at Bournemouth. Liverpool, meanwhile, remain winless in three Premier League home matches this season and sit ninth in the table.