Premier League 2025: Man City crush Liverpool in Guardiola’s 1,000th match. Manchester City made a winning statement to mark Pep Guardiola’s 1000th game in management with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool and moved to within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Missed an early penalty, Erling Haaland could not stop there as he headed his 99th Premier League goal before Nico Gonzalez’s deflected strike and a wonder goal from Jeremy Doku confirmed City as Arsenal’s main challengers for the title.
Liverpool’s problems showed no sign of abating as they have now lost four of their last five league games to leave the defending champions down in eighth, eight points off the top.
Arsenal’s 10-game winning run came to a halt in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland on Saturday and Guardiola’s men took full advantage in what is shaping up as a title fight between the two sides that have dominated the Premier League 2025 over the past decade
Even if the decisions went against Arne Slot’s side, this was another demonstration of how far they have fallen since cruising to a 2-0 win at the Etihad in February.
The Reds showed signs of a revival with wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid in the last eight days, but had no answer to the slickness of a rejuvenated City, who have won 11 of their last 14 games in all competitions.
Conor Bradley was impressive in shutting down the threat of Madrid’s Vinicius Junior on Tuesday but he was given a torrid time by the pace and trickery of Doku down City’s left flank.
Doku made the most of Ibrahima Konate’s clearance off Bradley to round Giorgi Mamardashvili before his trailing leg was clipped by the Georgian.
Referee Chris Kavanagh was unmoved initially before pointing to the spot after a VAR check.
Haaland has scored 28 goals this season for club and country, but he is yet to find the net from the spot for City.
Mamardashvili redeemed himself with a low save to his left to turn the Norwegian’s spot-kick to safety to briefly lift the mood among the Liverpool players and travelling support.
City remained on top, though, as Rayan Cherki’s effort was deflected wide before Mamardashvili turned Doku’s strike after another mazy run into the side-netting.
Haaland has failed to score in only two of his 18 appearances this season and duly delivered with a looping header to meet Matheus Nunes’ wicked delivery on 29 minutes.
Liverpool thought they had got back on level terms nine minutes later when Van Dijk’s header from a corner arrowed into the far corner.
However, Andy Robertson ducked out of the way of his captain’s effort and was deemed to have interfered with Gianluigi Donnarumma from an offside position.
Instead of going in all square, City rubbed salt in the wounds of Liverpool’s perceived injustice.
The visitors were slow to get out from a corner and Gonzalez had time to take aim before his shot deflected off Van Dijk to wrong-foot Mamardashvili.
Liverpool only had themselves to blame for not getting back in the game early in the second period as Cody Gakpo blazed over with the goal gaping at the end of a fine move involving Mohamed Salah and Bradley.
But Doku fittingly rounded off arguably his best performance in three seasons at City in style to seal a statement victory.
Highlights
The Belgian jinked inside the leaden-footed Konate before curling into the top corner from outside the box.
Salah summed up Liverpool’s day and season so far when he dinked wide a glorious chance 10 minutes from time.
Despite the visitors’ need for goals, Slot left £125 million ($165 million) striker Alexander Isak on the bench for the entire match due to his lack of match fitness.
The decision to tear up the squad that coasted to the title with a near £450 million spend in the transfer window looks more misguided by the game as Liverpool find themselves in a battle just to make the top four rather than the title race.