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DOKU AND ERLING HAALAND UNSTOPPABLE: MAN CITY DISMANTLE LIVERPOOL — PLAYER RATINGS

Jeremy Doku starred with a goal and an assist as Man City dominated Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad. The win, in Pep Guardiola's 1000th game, lifts City to 2nd in the Premier League table.

Doku and Erling Haaland unstoppable: Man City dismantle Liverpool —  Player Ratings
99 Premier League goals for Erling Haaland - Photo Credit: Manchester City FC


Pep Guardiola's 1,000th game as manager featured Jeremy Doku as Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium to move up to second place in the Premier League standings. 

After 63 minutes of a faultless display, Doku earned a goal for himself and was by far City's most dominant player.

On a day when Liverpool played poorly, that goal was the last piece of a very simple puzzle for City; previous goals from Nico Gonzalez and Erling Haaland gave Guardiola's team a lead.

When Virgil van Dijk grabbed Mohamed Salah's corner, Liverpool believed they had equalised, but Andy Robertson was offside and stopped the play. 

Guardiola's team got out to a strong start, forcing Liverpool into a compact formation that was subsequently revealed. However, if Haaland had scored from the penalty spot just 13 minutes in, the draw might have been broken sooner. 

Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate misplayed a loose ball inside the Liverpool penalty area, and the Frenchman lingered over it instead of clearing it, giving it to Doku. 

The Belgium international had just a few seconds to get the ball back and skip past Mamardashvili before the Liverpool goalkeeper pulled him down, and a VAR review resulted in a penalty. 

After 29 minutes, the Norwegian scored after Haaland tried to shoot into the bottom-right corner, but Mamardashvili brilliantly jumped off his line. 

With players like Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, who alone cost Liverpool £79 million and £116 million, respectively, in attack, Arne Slot fielded a somewhat formidable team. However, the visitors' compact structure encouraged City to drive toward the goal almost automatically.

After a change of play, Matheus Nunes was sent down the right wing and crossed towards Haaland a few seconds after Ruben Dias had held the ball from 40 yards away.

Additionally, Konate once again failed to provide much protection for his team after letting Doku have the ball earlier. The forward jumped up and headed the ball into the top-right corner of the net. 

The pressure on Liverpool continued after that first goal, and City had a chance to double their lead when Doku got the ball from Haaland on the left side of the box. Mamardashvili caught the winger's attempt to pass into space to Foden with relative ease. 

Doku had already demonstrated that he was in his element at 26 minutes when he shrugged Bradley off the ball, turned onto his left foot with his back to goal, and fired towards the near post, but the Liverpool goalie parried that attempt as well. 

Despite all odds, Liverpool believed they had equalised, and it was both skilful and discouraging for Guardiola's team. Andy Robertson went ahead of the ball as it was headed into the net, and Van Dijk's thunderous header at the end of Salah's corner was ruled offside. 

Before halftime, that seemed to have soured Slot's team's mindset, but not before Nico Gonzalez gave City a second lead in the third minute of injury time.

Gonzalez had the opportunity to shoot from 24 yards out as Liverpool stuck to their defensive-minded lineup, and City's attacking threat never appeared to slow down. 

After bouncing off the outside of Van Dijk's boot and bouncing past a misfiring Mamardashvili, it took a little luck for the ball to end up in the net, but the expansion of City's lead was well-earned. 

The home team again played well in the second half, creating additional issues for the Liverpool defence as Doku ducked past Bradley and Ryan Gravenberch to create a shot in the top-right corner. 

Given that Doku had performed at his peak this season, there was a sense of expectation that he would score, and he did so in the 63rd minute. 

The defender pulled back a long pass that Gonzalez had delivered to O'Reilly on the left, and Doku, facing Konate on the outskirts of the area, plucked the ball into the top-right corner. 

Cody Gakpo wasted a clear chance at the back post, while Gonzalez almost scored an own goal around the hour mark, giving Liverpool a slight advantage.

Salah also had a chance to rally his struggling team in minute 79, but his left-footed attempt slipped past the base of City's far post even though it cleared Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

Here is how we ranked the City players following their pivotal victory at the Etihad Stadium. That opportunity essentially summed up Liverpool's performance that day as City won handily well before the final whistle and secured their place in second place in the Premier League standings.

Player Ratings 


Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7.5  

City’s goalkeeper was hardly tested during the match. The only real challenge came when Salah made a weak right-footed shot after an eight-minute fast break.  

Matheus Nunes – 8  

He was solid down the right side all evening and didn’t give Gakpo much space for long stretches. He produced a stunning cross for Haaland, who scored from it.  

Rúben Dias – 7.5  

He led the defence with the authority that Guardiola’s side needed at times, especially when Liverpool tried to counter. He made a fantastic tackle to deny Salah a scoring chance.  

Josko Gvardiol – 7  

He excelled as a strong presence in the back. He lunged into tackles with determination and quickly judged long balls.  

Nico O’Reilly – 7.5  

Motivated by his second consecutive England call-up on Friday, he challenged Salah down the left side, even if he was caught out on the counter-attack sometimes. He assisted Doku’s excellent goal.  

Bernardo Silva – 7  

He moved all over the pitch and demonstrated why he is the captain. He never stopped running and helped set up Gonzalez’s long-range goal.  

Nico González – 8  

He received an unnecessary yellow card in the 27th minute for pulling Wirtz down, but he made up for it with strong play in transition and scored just before halftime.  

Phil Foden – 8  

He was a constant threat on Sunday and excelled as a creator. Foden showcased his dribbling skills in City’s defensive third, navigating danger effectively, and contributed to attacks as well.  

Rayan Cherki – 7  

He came close in the first half when a deflected effort went over the bar. At the moment, he seems to be a better option off the bench.  

Jeremy Doku – 9 (POTM)  

Where do we start? He delivered an outstanding performance, giving Liverpool’s defence, especially Bradley, nightmares. He truly deserved his goal just after the hour mark.  

Erling Haaland – 8  

He missed an early penalty but bounced back, scoring just 16 minutes later with a looping header past Mamardashvili.  

Substitutes  


Savinho – 7  

He came off the bench and made an immediate impact with his tight dribbling down the right, causing problems for the exhausted away defence.  

Omar Marmoush – 7  

He had a feel-good introduction that created a few chances. The Egyptian was active on the edge of the Liverpool area and saw a shot blocked near the end.

LEGEND STATUS: ERLING HAALAND EQUALS COLIN BELL’S GOAL RECORD IN FULHAM STROLL TODAY

Erling Haaland equals Colin Bell's scoring record as Man City beat Fulham 3-0. Read how Pep’s side closed the gap on Arsenal.

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Erling Haaland strikes as Manchester City dominate a rainy Etihad

Erling Haaland climbed to joint-fourth on Manchester City’s all-time scoring chart, tying with Colin Bell, as Pep Guardiola’s team brushed aside Fulham 3-0 and closed the gap on Arsenal.

Haaland’s 153rd goal for City came in a match that felt easy for the home side. They barely broke a sweat at the Etihad on Wednesday, cutting Arsenal’s Premier League lead to just three points.

Antoine Semenyo struck first, keeping his hot streak alive, and Nico O’Reilly added another in a match that was basically one-way traffic, with rain pouring down all night.

City did all their damage before halftime. Job done, Haaland didn’t even bother coming out for the second half.

After struggling for a bit, Haaland seemed to snap back into form with a clutch penalty winner at Liverpool on Sunday. Maybe that’s the spark he needed.

Matching Bell’s tally is no small feat—especially considering Haaland’s done it in just 183 games, while Bell had 492.

Honestly, this game was a walk in the park for City. In the last meeting at Craven Cottage, City led 5-1 after 57 minutes but almost let Fulham back in, scraping by 5-4. This time, there wasn’t even a hint of drama.

Fulham made it easy, coughing up possession over and over and giving City every chance to attack.

You could tell a goal was coming. Phil Foden, starting after a spell on the bench, nearly scored twice early on. O’Reilly wasn’t far off either.

The breakthrough came 24 minutes in. Matheus Nunes whipped in a cross from the right, Haaland nodded it down, and Semenyo slid in to poke it past Bernd Leno.

That was Semenyo’s fifth goal in eight games for City, and his third against Fulham this season; he’d already scored twice against them for Bournemouth back in October.

Fulham did get a sniff at goal when Harry Wilson forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but City hit right back. Haaland got clipped by Joachim Andersen on a counter, but Semenyo kept going and slipped in O’Reilly, who coolly chipped Leno for 2-0.

City’s third came after Fulham gave the ball away yet again. Rayan Ait-Nouri found Foden, Foden passed to Haaland at the edge of the box, and Haaland buried it in the bottom corner for his first league goal from open play since December.

There was a quick VAR check for a possible penalty, with Semenyo claiming his hair got pulled, but nothing came of it.

City eased off after the break. Fulham tried to respond, and Wilson had a lively run, but it fizzled out.

Even with City playing in second gear, Fulham couldn’t get anything going.

Foden tried his luck from a distance but didn’t really trouble Leno, and Josh King forced a late save from Donnarumma, but that was about it.

ERLING HAALAND’S MENTALITY IS THE ONLY REASON MAN CITY CAN CATCH ARSENAL

Erling Haaland’s late penalty at Anfield has cut Arsenal’s lead to three points, reigniting Manchester City’s title charge.

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Erling Haaland Claims He Needs To Be "Sharper" For City

Erling Haaland isn’t giving up on the title just yet. After slotting home a penalty deep into stoppage time at Anfield, he made it clear: “The title race isn’t over until it’s actually over.” That late goal kept Manchester City’s hopes alive.

Honestly, things looked grim with six minutes left. Szoboszlai had just smashed in a free kick, and even with Bernardo Silva’s equaliser, City were still staring at an eight-point gap behind Arsenal. But that penalty—Haaland’s first league goal at Anfield—changed the mood. Now, if City beat Fulham at home on Wednesday, the gap shrinks to three points before Arsenal even kick a ball at Brentford the next day.

Haaland tried to play it cool when people pressed him about the win. “It’s just three points, that’s it. Doesn’t matter if it’s Tottenham, whoever,” he said. But then he admitted, “Yeah, I get it. It was a big one.”

He’s not getting carried away, though. “We’ve seen it before—this race goes down to the wire. Right now, Fulham’s all I’m thinking about. There’s still a lot of football left.”

Haaland’s still the league’s top scorer with 21, but his penalty at Anfield was only his second league goal since Christmas. In his first 20 games this season, he couldn’t stop scoring—30 goals for club and country. Lately, though, the goals have dried up, and he knows it.

“Honestly, I haven’t scored enough since the start of the year. I have to be sharper and better at everything. That’s on me—I owe it to the team and to everyone watching.”

He didn’t want to make excuses or talk too much about what’s behind his dip in form. “I don’t think there’s an excuse. Fatigue? Most of it’s in your head. The schedule’s brutal, sure, but for me, it’s all about staying fit and being ready to help the team. That’s what matters most.”

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