Haaland hits six goals in six as Manchester City storm to 3-0 win at Liverpool

Manchester City left Anfield with a statement 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, a result that reinforced their attacking menace at the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season.

At the heart of it again was Erling Haaland. According to FotMob figures current to 11 October, the Norwegian striker has now scored six goals in his six Premier League appearances this season, underlining his status as the division's most prolific forward.

Yet the post-match mood was far from celebratory. Haaland described the afternoon as "a mental battle" rather than a routine away win.

“It was tough,” he said. “It was hard but we showed amazing character from back to front. So proud of everyone. [It’s] important to stay strong mentally, stick together and do what you can do something about, and the thing we can do something about is to play good football and fight together. That’s the only thing we can do.”

“You want to win games, it’s as simple as that,” he added. “Perform well, play good football and win games. This was a mental battle, [it’s] never easy coming back from internationals.”

City's manager Enzo Maresca, whose players returned from international duty only three days earlier, urged his squad to channel the scrutiny into performances:

“My message to the players since we were together three days ago, when they all came back from their national teams, has been quite clear,” he said. “Guys, the noise will always be there so it’s about how we learn to deal with the noise and it’s our duty to make our noise. Our noise is to win games in the way we did today and to be happy.”

The victory, however, comes against the backdrop of the independent panel's verdict into the charges brought against the club — a finding the Guardian's Jonathan Wilson characterises as proof of the greatest act of sustained cheating in the history of English football. City maintain their innocence and have appealed, leaving deep uncertainty over whether the three points won at Anfield will even stand by Christmas, and over what division the club will be playing in next season.

This report draws on Jonathan Wilson's Soccer Desk column for Guardian US and FotMob player data.