Manchester City produced a statement performance at the Etihad Stadium, sweeping aside Premier League champions Liverpool 3-0 to reignite their title charge.
Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico González and a brilliant second-half strike from Jérémy Doku sealed a dominant victory that cuts Arsenal’s lead at the top to just four points.
First-Half Dominance
Pep Guardiola’s side came flying out of the blocks in his 1,000th match in management, with Doku terrorising Liverpool’s back line from the left flank.
After a lively opening spell, City were awarded a penalty when Doku was clipped by goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili — but Haaland’s spot-kick was saved by the Liverpool stopper.
Undeterred, the Norwegian made amends soon after, powering home a Matheus Nunes cross with a towering header to open the scoring and register his 99th Premier League goal.
Liverpool thought they had levelled when Virgil van Dijk’s header found the net, only for VAR to rule it out for offside against Andy Robertson, who obstructed Donnarumma’s view.
Moments before the interval, City doubled their lead. Bernardo Silva teed up Nico González on the edge of the box, whose effort deflected off Van Dijk and flew past Mamardashvili to give City a commanding 2-0 advantage at half-time.
Doku Delivers the Finishing Touch
City continued to dominate after the break, with Doku at the heart of everything good. The Belgian winger combined superbly with full-back Nico O’Reilly before curling a stunning right-footed strike into the far corner for 3-0 a goal that capped his man-of-the-match performance.
The home side could have added more as Foden and O’Reilly both went close, while Liverpool’s chances were limited to speculative efforts from Szoboszlai and Salah, comfortably handled by Donnarumma.
City Close the Gap, Liverpool Left Searching
The result sees Manchester City leapfrog Chelsea into second place and move within striking distance of leaders Arsenal. For Guardiola, it was not just a tactical victory but a performance full of energy, precision, and purpose the clearest signal yet that his team remains firmly in the title hunt.
Liverpool, meanwhile, slipped to their fifth defeat in six Premier League matches, leaving Jurgen Klopp with urgent questions to answer about form and consistency as their title defence continues to falter.
Match Summary
Final Score: Manchester City 3–0 Liverpool
Goals: Haaland (29’), Nico González (45+3’), Doku (63’)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Man of the Match: Jérémy Doku (Manchester City)
