Liverpool 0-3 Manchester City: Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki strike after Ryan Gravenberch sees red at Anfield
City punish 10-man Liverpool at Anfield
Manchester City eased to a 3-0 Premier League win at Liverpool on Sunday 11 October 2026, scoring all three goals after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second bookable offence with the match still goalless.
Gravenberch, who had been Liverpool's standout player for the opening hour, was dismissed following a challenge on Jérémy Doku. The flashpoint turned a finely poised contest decisively in City's favour.
Three goals in an hour of City control
Erling Haaland's opener arrived just two minutes and 37 seconds after Gravenberch left the pitch. Within six minutes Doku had doubled City's advantage, and Rayan Cherki added a third with 12 minutes left to play.
The numbers illustrate the shift in the game. Manchester City had registered an expected goals figure of just 0.16 before the sending off, but dominated once Liverpool were down to 10 men, finding space across the pitch as the home side struggled to cope with their opponents' physicality.
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," he said.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge agreed that the match hinged on the dismissal. "The game changed on the red card. We have to be truthful about that," Sturridge said on Sky Sports. "City delivered after the red card changed the game. Prior to that, it was very even."
Gravenberch's hour of promise ends early
Gravenberch had been Liverpool's best performer before his second booking, having come into the side for the injured Dominik Szoboszlai, according to BBC Sport's player ratings published on 11 October 2026, which scored the midfielder a 6 and described the dismissal as naive.
The same assessment noted that Victor Munoz "played with fearlessness" and was a nuisance for City, causing Nico O'Reilly problems, while Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola were both told they must do more in the final third. Lewis Koumas, 21, was praised for getting stuck in on his first Premier League start.
Anfield makes its feelings known
Coverage of the match published on 11 October 2026 reported that the Anfield crowd delivered a sustained verdict on City's financial-rules case, with chants of "cheats" and "going down" from the moment the teams emerged. Manchester City, who maintained their 100% start to the Premier League season with the win, answered through Haaland, Doku and Cherki.