Manchester City player ratings: Rayan Cherki stars as Haaland and Doku punish 10-man Liverpool

Manchester City inflicted a first defeat on Andoni Iraola's Liverpool with a 3-0 win at Anfield. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored. Below are the full player ratings from the match. Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for Liverpool, changing the game completely.

  • Result: Liverpool 0-3 Manchester City
  • Goalscorers: Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki
  • Red card: Ryan Gravenberch (second yellow)
  • Competition: Premier League
  • Venue: Anfield
  • Significance: First defeat for Liverpool under Andoni Iraola

Confirmed line-ups

Liverpool (4-3-3)

Starting XI: Alisson; Ronald Araujo, Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Victor Munoz; Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola, Lewis Koumas

Substitutes: Nyoni, Frimpong, Ngumoha, Gomez, Chiesa. Not used: Mamardashvili, Endo, Tsimikas, McConnell.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly; Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Iliman Ndiaye; Erling Haaland

Substitutes: Doku, Gvardiol, Allan, Bouaddi. Not used: Rulli, Kovacic, Reis, Khusanov, Lewis.

Selection notes

Liverpool were without the injured Dominik Szoboszlai, so Ryan Gravenberch came into midfield. Lewis Koumas made his first Premier League start. Manchester City brought in Rayan Cherki, Iliman Ndiaye and Antoine Semenyo behind Erling Haaland, with Jeremy Doku among the substitutes.

Player ratings in full

Liverpool

Alisson (5): Could do nothing to keep out Haaland's strike, then beaten by a beauty from Doku and some solid footwork from Cherki.

Ronald Araujo (5): Got a cheap yellow card early on and will be annoyed that the first two Man City goals came from his side.

Virgil van Dijk (6): Often pushed out of position to help Liverpool deal with getting outnumbered in midfield. Perhaps could have closed Haaland down quicker.

Jeremy Jacquet (6): Wasn't a bad display from a young talent who is very impressive but this must have been a real eye-opener against a quality City attack.

Milos Kerkez (5): Battled well with Iliman Ndiaye and pushed up regularly but lacked quality in the final third.

Alexis Mac Allister (5): Grew into the game and put in a good shift but struggled once Liverpool went down to 10 men.

Ryan Gravenberch (6): Came in for the injured Dominik Szoboszlai and was Liverpool's best player until he got sent off for a second yellow card. Naive on his part.

Victor Munoz (7): Played with such a fearlessness and was an absolute nuisance for Man City, causing Nico O'Reilly all sorts of problems.

Florian Wirtz (4): Simply has got to do better, particularly in games of this magnitude. Was largely ineffective and made some poor decisions.

Bradley Barcola (5): Sharp on the ball and did his defensive duties but, like Wirtz, must do more in the final third.

Lewis Koumas (7): Making his first Premier League start and the 21-year-old got stuck in from the outset in an energetic display that was loved by the Anfield crowd.

Subs: Nyoni (on 66, Wirtz): 6; Frimpong (on 75, Araujo): 5; Ngumoha (on 75, Koumas): 5; Gomez (on 88, Jacquet); Chiesa (on 88, Barcola).

Manchester City

Gianluigi Donnarumma (7): Had a shaky start but made a string of good saves early in the second half to deny Koumas and Gravenberch and keep the game level.

Matheus Nunes (7): An impressive display and made a great tackle in the box to deny Barcola in the first half.

Ruben Dias (7): Did well to weather the early storm and keep Liverpool out.

Marc Guehi (7): Like Dias, a strong performance at centre-half and can take satisfaction from the way they defended, especially when Liverpool attacked The Kop end.

Nico O'Reilly (6): Solid going forward but had his work cut out against Munoz and was inevitably booked when he fouled the Spaniard in the second-half.

Elliot Anderson (7): Always showed for the ball and constantly involved but lucky not to get booked for pulling Gravenberch back. Got the assist for Doku.

Enzo Fernandez (6): Forced Alisson to make a good stop in the first half but didn't really grow into the game until Gravenberch was sent off.

Iliman Ndiaye (6): Dangerous on the ball and had a few threatening moments before he was replaced by Doku.

Rayan Cherki (8): Capped off a day to remember for Man City with a lovely goal.

Antoine Semenyo (7): Threatening all afternoon and part of an attack that was simply too good for Liverpool once City had the man advantage.

Erling Haaland (8): Had a quiet first half and missed a huge chance early on in the second half but finished emphatically to give City the lead.

Subs: Doku (on 56, Ndiaye): 8; Gvardiol (on 66, O'Reilly): 7; Allan (on 80, Haaland): 6; Bouaddi (on 84, Fernandez): 6.

Analysis: Why Cherki and Doku changed the game

Manchester City's attacking depth proved decisive. Rayan Cherki capped a man-of-the-match display with a lovely goal, while Jeremy Doku came off the bench to score an absolute belter. Erling Haaland had a quiet first half and missed a huge chance early in the second, but finished emphatically to give City the lead. The red card to Ryan Gravenberch was the turning point, allowing City to exploit the extra space.

Liverpool's midfield struggled once Gravenberch was dismissed. Florian Wirtz was largely ineffective, and Bradley Barcola must do more in the final third. Victor Munoz and Lewis Koumas were the bright sparks, but the defence couldn't cope with City's quality. Virgil van Dijk was often pushed out of position as Liverpool were outnumbered in midfield.

Talking points

  • Should Ryan Gravenberch have been more disciplined? His second yellow was naive and cost Liverpool any chance of a comeback.
  • Is Florian Wirtz living up to expectations? A rating of 4 in a game of this magnitude raises serious questions about his big-match impact.
  • Manchester City's bench made the difference: Doku scored and Gvardiol helped see out the win. Does Pep Guardiola now have the best squad depth in the league?
  • Lewis Koumas and Victor Munoz were Liverpool's best players. Should they start more regularly?

What happens next

Liverpool must regroup for their next Premier League fixture, with Andoni Iraola facing his first defeat. Manchester City will look to build on this statement win. The result blows the title race wide open and raises questions about Liverpool's ability to compete with the elite.

Frequently asked questions

Who scored in Liverpool vs Manchester City?

Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored for Manchester City.

Who was sent off in Liverpool vs Manchester City?

Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second yellow card.

What was the score in Liverpool vs Manchester City?

Manchester City won 3-0 at Anfield.

Filed under: Match Reports | LA Premier League Home