MANCHESTER, England — Manchester Metropolis laid down a marker within the Premier League title race with a powerful 3-0 win over reigning champions Liverpool on the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Erling Haaland noticed an early penalty saved earlier than giving Metropolis a deserved lead halfway by the primary half with a well-taken header. Virgil van Dijk thought he’d equalized just for his header to be dominated out as a result of Andrew Robertson was deemed to be in an offside place in entrance of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Metropolis made essentially the most of their first-half dominance when Nico González made it 2-0 simply earlier than halftime with a shot from exterior the penalty space that deflected in off Van Dijk, and Jérémy Doku rounded off his man-of-the-match efficiency with a spectacular third within the second half.
The end result strikes Metropolis as much as second within the desk as they closed the hole on leaders Arsenal to 4 factors after Mikel Arteta’s facet needed to accept a draw in opposition to Sunderland on Saturday. — Rob Dawson
Metropolis’s profitable week reveals how good they’re
It has been laborious to inform the place Metropolis are at after a combined begin to the season, however this week has revealed that they are truly fairly good.
Pep Guardiola’s group have seen off AFC Bournemouth, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool within the house of seven days. Greater than that, all three performances had been comparatively convincing.
The primary half in opposition to Liverpool was possibly their finest 45 minutes of the season. It is perhaps their finest 45 minutes for the reason that 2023-24 season.
Guardiola has been cautious to minimize expectations after a depressing marketing campaign in 2024-25, however they’re maintaining with the UEFA Champions League tempo setters on the prime of the league part desk, sit second within the Premier League, 4 factors behind leaders Arsenal, and have an EFL Cup quarterfinal to return in opposition to Brentford subsequent month.
It is a case of thus far, so good.
There is a lengthy strategy to go this season — one thing Guardiola identified himself at his information convention on Friday. All Metropolis can do is put themselves ready to problem for trophies within the new yr, they usually’re nicely on their strategy to doing that.
Liverpool may not be on the stage that noticed them topped champions six months in the past, nevertheless it was nonetheless an announcement win. — Dawson
Liverpool watching rivals disappear out of sight
Maybe essentially the most becoming encapsulation of Liverpool’s tumultuous season thus far was supplied within the second half on the Etihad, when the house supporters turned their backs on the motion and did the enduring “Poznan” celebration.
For Arne Slot’s facet, the sight of their longstanding rivals basking in such an emphatic win represents a brand new nadir in a marketing campaign that has lurched from the chic to the ridiculous. After a promising week during which they beat each Aston Villa and Actual Madrid, Sunday’s conflict in opposition to a resurgent Metropolis merely proved a bridge too far.
Finally, this was a sport misplaced within the first half, with Liverpool unable to duplicate the standard and depth that helped them see off Madrid so impressively in midweek. Slot could nicely level to the truth that fortune didn’t favor his facet; Metropolis’s early penalty (which was nicely saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili) appeared like a harsh choice, whereas Van Dijk’s controversial disallowed objective — which might have made it 1-1 within the first half — undoubtedly swung the momentum in Metropolis’s favor.
Nonetheless, the actual fact of the matter is that Liverpool haven’t been ok this season. After 11 league video games, they’ve already suffered 5 defeats — greater than they did within the entirety of final time period — and have now misplaced each sport during which they’ve conceded the primary objective.
Defeat to Metropolis leaves Liverpool 4 factors behind Guardiola’s facet and eight behind leaders Arsenal. If the Reds can not discover a strategy to get well the mentality that helped them romp to the title final season, they might rapidly discover that their two greatest rivals are utterly out of sight. — Beth Lindop
Doku seems constant — and unstoppable
What a efficiency from the Man Metropolis winger. He induced chaos down Metropolis’s left all afternoon and capped off a beautiful show with a improbable objective.
Conor Bradley seemed snug in opposition to Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday, however he could not deal with Doku. The Belgium worldwide gained the early penalty that was missed by Haaland, and each time he received the ball, there was a sense contained in the stadium that one thing was about to occur.
At one level within the first half, he was having a lot success in opposition to Bradley that Slot ordered Ryan Gravenberch to double up. Nothing Liverpool tried appeared to work, and it was solely when Doku was substituted on 73 minutes that the torment stopped.
His objective, slicing in from the left and curling a right-footed shot into the far nook, was so good that when it was replayed on the massive screens there have been “oohhhs” and “ahhhs” from the Metropolis followers.
Doku has proven flashes of his capacity since arriving from Stade Rennais in 2023. This season, although, he is doing it constantly.
His capacity in one-vs.-one conditions is so good that when he is enjoying like this, he is nearly unstoppable. — Dawson
Liverpool protection is perhaps their undoing in 2025-26
As Liverpool closed in on their mightily spectacular victory over Actual Madrid on Tuesday, Bradley’s title boomed across the stadium. The house supporters inside Anfield had been eager to serenade the precise again after he had delivered arguably essentially the most spectacular show of his profession, defending beautifully to maintain the difficult Vinícius at bay.
Sadly for Liverpool, Bradley couldn’t match that stage of efficiency in opposition to Metropolis and was a part of a protection that struggled to comprise the excellent Doku, notably within the first half. Alongside him, Ibrahima Konaté additionally endured a tricky afternoon and was outjumped by Haaland for the hosts’ opener, whereas Robertson was changed by Milos Kerkez early within the second half.
After conserving back-to-back clear sheets in opposition to Villa and Madrid, this was a reminder that Liverpool nonetheless have work to do defensively in the event that they hope to salvage something from this season. The return of goalkeeper Alisson Becker after the worldwide break ought to assist breed confidence among the many backline, however the Reds’ leaky protection seems prefer it might very nicely be their undoing this time period. — Lindop
In prime kind, Haaland is rewriting the document books
Lacking an early penalty in a giant sport may need had a detrimental impression on plenty of strikers.
Not Haaland. He noticed his ninth-minute spot-kick saved by Mamardashvili, nevertheless it did not cease the Norway worldwide from making his mark.
Matheus Nunes was intelligent in delaying his cross from the precise simply sufficient in order that Robertson turned his again. The ball into the field was high quality. After that, although, it was all about Haaland.
He peeled off towards the again publish and rose above Konaté to move the ball again throughout objective and into the nook. In some ways, it was a typical Haaland objective.
He wasn’t the star in opposition to Liverpool, however he nonetheless received his nineteenth objective of the season and his 14th in 11 Premier League video games. The 25-year-old has additionally moved to 99 Premier League targets in simply 108 appearances.
These are scarcely plausible numbers.
Alan Shearer, the highest objective scorer in Premier League historical past, wanted 124 video games to succeed in 100 targets. With Haaland in kind like this, it is extremely unlikely he’ll want one other 16 video games to succeed in the 100 membership. One other document is about to go. — Dawson
Salah’s finest days look to be behind him
If it was in opposition to Metropolis on the Etihad final season that Mohamed Salah loved considered one of his best outings in a Liverpool shirt, then it was on the identical turf this time period that the ahead’s current decline was laid naked.
In February, the Egypt worldwide scored Liverpool’s opener and assisted Dominik Szoboszlai for his or her second en path to a victory that noticed them make a large stride towards the title. On Sunday, nonetheless, Salah toiled up in opposition to the prodigious Nico O’Reilly as Liverpool slumped to one more depressing defeat.
To the 33-year-old’s credit score, he battled till the tip, even after spurning an excellent alternative late within the second half. However, regardless of having scored in each of Liverpool’s previous two league video games (in opposition to Brentford and Aston Villa), he seemed like a shadow of his former self in opposition to Metropolis, failing to hit the goal with any of his three photographs.
Salah has proven sufficient in current outings to recommend Father Time has not caught up with him simply but, however his newest exhibiting proves his days as Liverpool’s major man may simply be behind him. — Lindop