Liverpool 0–3 City: Ndiaye starts, Doku decisive

Anfield, 15 May 2024. File photo: FYI2023, CC0.

Liverpool held out for more than an hour, then Manchester City won the clash at Anfield on Sunday 11 October (Liverpool 0–3 City). Haaland opened the scoring in the 65th minute, Doku doubled the lead in the 68th and Cherki wrapped it up in the 78th. City remain perfect after six Premier League games, with six wins from six and 18 points.

Ndiaye makes way, Doku changes the course of the game

Starting for City, Iliman Ndiaye made way for Jérémy Doku in the 56th minute. The substitute was quickly at the heart of the turning point: Gravenberch received a second booking for a foul on him, leaving Liverpool with ten men. Doku was then involved in the first goal before scoring himself. The substitution therefore had a hand in several decisive moments.

City's report also notes that Liverpool had threatened before the game turned. Donnarumma in particular had kept out two close-range efforts after the break. The 0–3 defeat for Liverpool therefore does not mean the visiting goalkeeper had an easy afternoon.

Four shots on target, three goals

ESPN statistics and the SNA match sheet give City 15 shots to Liverpool's 13. The Reds, however, hit the target six times, against four for the visitors. With three goals from those four shots on target, City converted their chances with an efficiency that the total number of shots alone does not capture.

This does not measure the quality of each chance. All three goals also came after the sending-off, so the match figures blend spells of eleven against eleven and eleven against ten.

City leave with three points and continue their perfect start. Ndiaye, who started, is part of this win at Anfield, even though the decisive moments came after he went off.