Liverpool v Man City player ratings: Florian Wirtz struggles in tough outing for the Reds
Manchester City built on their unbeaten start to the season with a commanding win over Liverpool, handing Andoni Iraola his first defeat as Liverpool manager. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki all scored, and Liverpool were reduced to 10 men after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second yellow card.
Liverpool had started with a makeshift midfield after Dominik Szoboszlai was injured, and Gravenberch came in to take his place. He was Liverpool’s best player before his dismissal, which left his side outnumbered in the middle of the park.
Liverpool
Alisson (5): Could do nothing to stop Haaland’s strike and was then beaten by a fine finish from Doku and some tidy footwork from Cherki.
Ronald Araujo (5): Picked up a cheap early yellow card and will be annoyed that the first two City goals came from his side.
Virgil van Dijk (6): Often pushed out of position to help Liverpool deal with being outnumbered in midfield. Perhaps could have closed Haaland down more quickly.
Jeremy Jacquet (6): A young talent who impressed, although this was 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 Szoboszlai and was Liverpool’s best player until he was sent off. Naive on his part.
Victor Munoz (7): Played with real fearlessness and was an absolute nuisance for City, causing Nico O’Reilly all sorts of problems.
Florian Wirtz (4): Simply has to do better, particularly in games of this magnitude. 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, the 21-year-old got stuck in from the outset in an energetic display that was loved by the Anfield crowd.
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, including 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. He can take satisfaction from the way City 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 booked for fouling him in the second half.
Elliot Anderson (7): Always showed for the ball and was constantly involved. Lucky not to be booked for pulling back Gravenberch, and he provided the assist for Doku.
Enzo Fernandez (6): Forced Alisson into a good save in the first half but did not really grow into the game until Gravenberch was sent off.
Iliman Ndiaye (6): Dangerous on the ball and had a few threatening moments before being replaced by Doku.
Rayan Cherki (8): Capped off a day to remember for 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 numerical advantage.
Erling Haaland (8): Had a quiet first half and missed a huge chance early in the second, but finished emphatically to give City the lead.
Jeremy Doku (8): Came on for Ndiaye in the 56th minute and scored an absolute belter.