Liverpool – Manchester City: Gravenberch Red Turns The Tide As City Defeat Liverpool At Anfield (0-3)

Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield. A red card for Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch turned the game in City’s favour as goals from Haaland, Doku and Cherki gave the Citizens a vital away win on the night, giving the Man City fans something to cheer about after weeks of swirling news of City’s allegations that have plagued the club and its fan base.

Tactical analysis and match report by Gaurav Krishnan.

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The context going into this game was heavy. An independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules spanning nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18 (114 of 115 in total, according to reports). The findings detailed “sham” contracts and agreements that artificially inflated revenues and reduced costs by more than £900 million through disguised funding from ownership, primarily the Abu Dhabi United Group. City denied wrongdoing, lodged an appeal by early October, and framed the process as flawed.

And so their first match since the public verdict arrived at a hostile Anfield, where banners, boos and “Cheats” chants greeted the visitors from warm-up through kick-off. Enzo Maresca’s side, perfect with five wins from five going into this game with 15 points, treated the occasion as an opportunity to make their own noise and perhaps give their fans some reasons to forget the scathing news.

Liverpool, meanwhile, under Andoni Iraola in his first full season after replacing Arne Slot, entered with an unbeaten record of two wins and three draws (nine points) but in the end dropped to ninth in the Premier League table after this result. Absences hurt the Reds with Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) out, forcing Lewis Koumas into his first Premier League start as the focal point up front. City’s midfield investment in Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez was already paying dividends in an adventurous system.

However, this game was even until Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for accumulating two yellow cards tipping the game in favour of City who scored their first two goals immediately after, resulting in a huge 3-0 away win at Anfield.

Liverpool lined up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Alisson started in goal with a back four of Ronald Araujo at right-back, Jeremy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk at center-back and Milos Kerkez at left-back. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister anchored the midfield double pivot with Victor Munoz down the right, Bradley Barcola down the left and Florian Wirtz as the no. 10. Meanwhile, Lewis Koumas led the line up front.

Manchester City lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Gianluigi Donnarumma started in goal with a back four of Mateus Nunes at right-back, Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi at center-back and Nico O’Reilly at left back. Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez were fielded as the double midfield pivot with Iliman Ndiaye down the right, Antoine Semenyo down the left and Rayan Cherki as the no.10, as Erling Haaland led the line as the lone striker.

An Even First Half

City’s in possession IP shape became a 2-3-5 or 2-2-1-5. The full-backs Nunes and O’Reilly inverted into the inside channels while wingers Semenyo and Ndiaye provided width. Cherki operated ahead of the Anderson-Fernandez pivot. Fernandez or Anderson could drop to form the initial build base. This created extra options between the wingers and Haaland, allowing City to recycle or switch when blocked.

City’s in possesssion IP shape in a 2-2-1-5. City settled into their inverted structure, with full-backs tucking into the half-spaces to create central overloads while the wingers held width and Cherki linked ahead of the double pivot vs Liverpool’s 4-4-2 OOP shape.

Before the red card, however, Maresca instructed a more direct approach than his usual possession norms with long passes (53 in the game versus a prior average of 41), a higher share of long passes (9.4% vs 6.5%), more direct attacks and through balls. The intent was to bypass Iraola’s high press, stretch the pitch lengthways and lean into chaos amid the hostile environment which was a deliberate, almost Mourinho-esque shift from placid control toward forward-thinking aggression and Haaland as an aerial battering ram. It lengthened City’s own shape, disconnecting the back line from midfield and leaving Anderson often isolated, which Gravenberch exploited with progressive carries.

Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1 became a 4-4-2 out of possession when Wirtz advanced alongside Koumas. In possession they prioritised wide exits and central combinations. Jacquet stepped out of Haaland’s cover shadow to offer van Dijk a progressive option that linked to Mac Allister. Gravenberch received on the half-turn, scanned approaches and carried forward, breaking lines with runs from his own half. Wirtz drifted wide to combine with Munoz or Barcola, one early one-two with Munoz forced a defensive intervention before a shot. The structure aimed to sustain attacks through intensity and verticality rather than sterile circulation.

A Pensive Early Second Half

Liverpool, under Andoni Iraola, built in their nominal 4-2-3-1 with a clear emphasis on vertical progression and wide play rather than patient circulation. Jeremy Jacquet frequently stepped out of Erling Haaland’s cover shadow to receive from Virgil van Dijk and link directly into Alexis Mac Allister, while Ryan Gravenberch was the key progressive carrier, receiving on the half-turn, scanning City’s approaches and breaking lines with carries from deeper areas. Florian Wirtz drifted toward the flanks to combine with Victor Munoz or Bradley Barcola, and the overall intent was to move the ball quickly into the final third through central combinations or wide outlets, sustaining the high intensity that defined Iraola’s early-season approach. This produced periods of territorial pressure, particularly early and just after half-time, though clear-cut chances remained limited before the red card. Iraola’s archetypal use of “double-width” was also evident as the full backs pushed high creating 2v1s out wide vs the City FBs.

Andoni Iraola’s classic use of double width was evident as Kerkez pushed high along with Barcola creating 2v1s vs Nunes while Mac Allister received the cutback to progress play as City defend in a 4-2-3-1 OOP shape.

Manchester City’s out-of-possession structure was generally compact and disciplined, in a 4-2-3-1 which also became a 4-4-2 in certain phases, with their midfield screens and rest defence limiting clean central entries for Liverpool for long stretches. Elliot Anderson operated as the primary defensive fulcrum, covering large distances and winning duels to disrupt Liverpool’s progression, while the full-backs and wingers dropped into a more conservative block when the hosts sustained possession. City’s broader strategy blended this solidity with a deliberate pre-red-card shift toward direct play with more long balls and through balls than Maresca’s usual norms. This aimed to bypass Iraola’s aggressive, player-oriented high press and stretch the pitch lengthways, using Haaland as an aerial target and creating chaos rather than seeking total control. Once Gravenberch was dismissed, this platform allowed City to recycle possession more patiently, overload wide areas and exploit the numerical advantage through Doku’s vertical threat and controlled circulation.

Tides Turn After Gravenberch Red

After the restart Liverpool increased intensity. Barcola linked with Koumas for a deflected effort that Donnarumma saved. Gravenberch and Mac Allister tested from distance as Mac Allister curled narrowly wide. A Wirtz set-piece delivery created further pressure. City’s best chance came when Semenyo’s reverse pass released Haaland one-on-one but the Norwegian’s dink drifted wide. Momentum favoured the hosts until the 62nd minute. However, Gravenberch received a second yellow for a foul on substitute Doku (introduced for Ndiaye on 56 minutes) during a counter. He had been booked early in the second half for a challenge on Anderson that many viewed as soft. Jamie Carragher called the first “a nothing challenge” and said the referee was too quick to the card, noting it appeared issued only when Anderson appeared hurt.

City needed no second invitation after the red. Within minutes Doku’s inside run saw his shot deflected into Haaland’s path and the striker lashed a fierce left-footed finish past Alisson (65th minute). Three minutes later Doku cut inside from the left and curled an arcing finish into the far top corner (68th). Cherki completed the scoring on 78 minutes after a patient 41-pass move involving all outfield players with circulation across flanks, advances into the box, Gvardiol’s flicked assist (on for O’Reilly from the 66th), and Cherki’s change of direction to finish past Alisson and Frimpong.

The red card disrupted Liverpool’s coordinated press-and-cover structure. Mac Allister protected a larger area. Munoz faced choices between tucking inside to help the booked Araujo against Doku or holding width. Iraola switched toward a 4-4-1 after replacing Wirtz with Trey Nyoni (around 67 minutes). Liverpool dropped deeper, exposed in wide areas and inside channels. High regains dried up as Koumas became isolated and Barcola had fewer running opportunities.

Man City aim to capitalise on Liverpool going down to 10 men after Gravenberch’s red. Liverpool sat in a 4-4-1 with Nyoni on and slotting into midfield alongside Mac Allister while Maresca brought on Gvardiol and Doku. Here Gvardiol as the inverted FB pushes high against the Liverpool back line as a wide triangle is formed between him, Doku and Enzo Fernandez. Doku picks up the ball and drives towards the Liverpool defensive line.

With the game controlled, City circulated the ball patiently and finished clinically. Haaland was rested late for midweek Champions League duty. Meanwhile, Liverpool chased the game without the intensity or structure that had defined their first hour. Maresca described a difficult environment but noted second-half adjustments improved their off-ball work and build-up and he called it a perfect away performance. Iraola acknowledged two different games, i.e. one until the red card where his side were better, and one after where City dominated. The result extended City’s advantage to three points over Arsenal with six wins in six for Enzo Maresca’s men. Liverpool’s first defeat of the season left them ninth on nine points, with questions over midfield cover, attacking potency and managing numerical disadvantages.

Takeaways

For Man City, this was a game they needed a win to exorcise the negativity surrounding the club after the news of their sanctions. Getting a win at Anfield is no easy task, and although they were assisted by Gravenberch’s red card, this victory gave their fans something to cheer about and forget the negative press & judiciary sanctions that have maligned the club in recent weeks. It’s now six wins out of six for Maresca’s men as they sit top of the Premier League table with a perfect record.

Meanwhile, for Liverpool, they went into this game with several key players missing so it was always going to be an uphill battle but until the red card, as Andoni Iraola would argue they were arguably the better team and with the game possibly swinging either way. However, Gravenberch should have used some amount of caution and care after picking up a booking instead of needlessly lunging into the tackle that got him his second yellow card. Iraola’s unbeaten record has come to an end now, as Liverpool have dropped down to 9th in the table and they will need to pick up from this defeat and restart if they are to compete for Europe or even mount a title push.

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