Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola’s 1000th game in management with a commanding 3–0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, closing the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to just four points.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring with a looping header after missing an early penalty, taking his league tally to 99 goals, while Nico Gonzalez’s deflected effort and a stunning Jeremy Doku strike sealed a statement win for the defending champions at the Etihad Stadium.
The result handed Liverpool their fourth defeat in five league matches, leaving Arne Slot’s side languishing in eighth place, eight points off the top.
City, meanwhile, took full advantage of Arsenal’s stumble in a 2–2 draw at Sunderland on Saturday, reaffirming their status as the Gunners’ main title rivals.
Liverpool’s brief resurgence — following wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid — was ruthlessly snuffed out as Guardiola’s men dominated from start to finish.
Haaland saw his early spot kick saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but the Norwegian made amends moments later with a towering header from Matheus Nunes’ cross on 29 minutes.
Liverpool thought they had equalised through Virgil van Dijk’s header, but Andy Robertson was judged offside for interfering with play. City then doubled their lead as Gonzalez’s drive deflected off Van Dijk to wrong-foot Mamardashvili.
Any hopes of a Liverpool comeback were dashed when Jeremy Doku capped a sensational display by cutting inside Ibrahima Konaté and curling a brilliant effort into the top corner.
City have now won 11 of their last 14 matches in all competitions and look back to their ruthless best heading into the busy winter period.
Final Score: Manchester City 3–0 Liverpool
Scorers: Haaland (29’), Gonzalez (45’), Doku (68’)
