Liverpool vs Man City player ratings: Florian Wirtz struggles in a tough outing for the Reds

Manchester City extended their perfect start to the season by beating Liverpool, handing Andoni Iraola the first defeat of his time in charge of the Reds. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored the goals, while Liverpool were reduced to 10 men after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second yellow card.

Match summary

Liverpool started with energy, and Victor Munoz caused constant problems for City’s defence. Liverpool had to deal with being outnumbered in midfield, and Donnarumma made a string of saves early in the second half to keep the game level after a shaky start for the City goalkeeper.

Haaland had a quiet first half and missed a big chance early in the second half. He soon made up for it, finishing emphatically to give City the lead. Doku, who came on for Iliman Ndiaye on 56 minutes, then struck a superb effort to make it 2-0. Gravenberch’s dismissal shifted the balance further, and City’s attack, including Antoine Semenyo, proved too strong once they had the extra man. Elliot Anderson provided the assist for Doku’s goal, and Cherki added a lovely finish to complete the win.

Liverpool were without Dominik Szoboszlai, who was injured, and Gravenberch came in to replace him before his early exit. Making his first Premier League start, 21-year-old Lewis Koumas got stuck in from the outset and delivered an energetic display that the Anfield crowd appreciated.

Liverpool player ratings

Alisson (5): Could do nothing to keep out Haaland’s strike, then was beaten by a beauty from Doku and some solid footwork from Cherki.

Ronald Araujo (5): Picked up a cheap yellow card early on and will be annoyed that the first two City goals came from his side.

Virgil van Dijk (6): Often pushed out of position to help Liverpool cope with being outnumbered in midfield. Perhaps could have closed Haaland down more quickly.

Jeremy Jacquet (6): A young talent who is very impressive, but this was a real eye-opener against a quality City attack.

Milos Kerkez (5): Battled well with Ndiaye and pushed up regularly but lacked quality in the final third.

Alexis Mac Allister (5): Grew into the game and put in a good shift but struggled once Liverpool went down to 10 men.

Ryan Gravenberch (6): Came in for the injured Szoboszlai and was Liverpool’s best player until he was sent off for a second yellow card. Naive on his part.

Victor Munoz (7): Played with real fearlessness and was an absolute nuisance for City, causing Nico O’Reilly all sorts of problems.

Florian Wirtz (4): Simply has to do better, particularly in games of this magnitude. Was largely ineffective and made some poor decisions.

Bradley Barcola (5): Sharp on the ball and did his defensive duties, but like Wirtz, must do more in the final third.

Lewis Koumas (7): Making his first Premier League start, he got stuck in from the outset in an energetic display loved by the Anfield crowd.

Substitutes not used: Mamardashvili, Endo, Tsimikas, McConnell.

Manchester City player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma (7): Had a shaky start but made a string of good saves early in the second half to deny Koumas and Gravenberch and keep the game level.

Matheus Nunes (7): An impressive display, with a great tackle in the box to deny Barcola in the first half.

Ruben Dias (7): Did well to weather the early storm and keep Liverpool out.

Marc Guehi (7): Like Dias, a strong performance at centre-half. Can take satisfaction from the way City defended, especially when Liverpool attacked the Kop end.

Nico O’Reilly (6): Solid going forward but had his work cut out against Munoz and was inevitably booked for fouling him in the second half.

Elliot Anderson (7): Always showed for the ball and was constantly involved. Lucky not to be booked for pulling back Gravenberch, and got the assist for Doku.

Enzo Fernandez (6): Forced Alisson into a good stop in the first half but didn’t really grow into the game until Gravenberch was sent off.

Iliman Ndiaye (6): Dangerous on the ball and had a few threatening moments before being replaced by Doku.

Rayan Cherki (8): Capped off a day to remember for City with a lovely goal.

Antoine Semenyo (7): Threatening all afternoon and part of an attack that was simply too good for Liverpool once City had the man advantage.

Erling Haaland (8): Had a quiet first half and missed a huge chance early in the second, but finished emphatically to give City the lead.

Jeremy Doku (8, on 56 minutes for Ndiaye): Came on and scored an absolute belter.

Substitutes not used: Rulli, Kovacic, Reis, Khusanov, Lewis.