Manchester City overcame a hostile Anfield atmosphere and beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 on their return to Premier League action.
City’s first match following the trip to Merseyside came after an independent commission found the club guilty on all charges stemming from serious breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
The club has since lodged an appeal against the ruling and keeps insisting it did nothing wrong.
As the City players took to the Anfield cauldron, they were met with a chorus of boos during both their warm-ups and just before kick-off.
Yet they would ultimately quiet the crowd, as a red card for Ryan Gravenberch just past the hour mark let them take command.
The opening stages of the match reflected the frenetic mood. The visitors were left chasing shadows and absorbed some heavy challenges, with the game threatening to spill over early on.
Come half-time, City had managed to calm both themselves and the crowd. But with Liverpool attacking The Kop after the break, Enzo Maresca’s side had to ride out the storm once more.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was alert to keep out several ferocious attempts, and then the turning point arrived.
Gravenberch received a second yellow card for a foul on Jeremy Doku. Before that moment, City’s xG stood at only 0.16. After that, the floodgates opened.
Two minutes and 36 seconds following the dismissal, Erling Haaland emphatically fired City in front before Doku and Rayan Cherki added flair, as the Premier League leaders delivered a statement about what they can still do on the pitch.
City’s ruthlessness keeps them the only side with a perfect start to the league season, while Andoni Iraola’s Reds already sit nine points behind after their first loss.
