Manchester City delivered a statement of intent in their first game since being found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial regulations, swatting aside 10-man Liverpool 3-0.

Sunday's contest at Anfield came amid the backdrop of the Premier League winning their case against Man City, who have appealed the result and maintain their innocence.

A vociferous home crowd jeered every touch and pass from City's players throughout, yet the league leaders demonstrated their class with a clinical, ruthless showing in the wake of Ryan Gravenberch's 62nd-minute red card.

Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku scored in the space of three minutes, before Rayan Cherki capped off a sensational team move.

Liverpool started brightly, yet City went closest to an opener when Antoine Semenyo's drilled cross skimmed through the six-yard box.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into action at the start of the second half, with Liverpool having three shots in the space of a minute.

Donnarumma denied Lewis Koumas and Gravenberch before Alexis Mac Allister curled wide.

Haaland then spurned a brilliant chance when he was put through by Semenyo, but the match turned as Gravenberch received a harsh second booking for a challenge on substitute Doku.

City did not look back from there. Within three minutes, Haaland had slammed in a first-time finish after Doku's shot was deflected into his path.

Three minutes later, Doku curled a sublime finish over the top of Alisson.

Cherki added further gloss in the 78th minute, slotting home after a sensational move that involved 41 passes, which is the longest sequence resulting in a Premier League goal since Phil Foden netted against Nottingham Forest in September 2023 (46 passes).

Liverpool 0-3 Man City As the momentum graphic shows, this game flipped on Ryan Gravenberch's red card. Liverpool lose their first game of the season, City have won all six. https://t.co/YNCBRuv3hw

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) October 11, 2026

Man City's show of defiance

While City lodge their appeal against the guilty verdict, their Premier League rivals will want to know what punishment is going their way, and there is definitely a shadow cast over the competition as it stands.

But all Enzo Maresca's team can do is focus on the here and now, and the here and now has them top of the Premier League, three points clear of Arsenal.

There were just two minutes and 37 seconds between Gravenberch being sent off for Liverpool and Haaland putting City 1-0 up, and it truly was a clinical showing from the visitors from then on.

Haaland has scored eight goals in his last eight appearances against Liverpool in all competitions – no other player has scored more than five goals versus the Reds since he joined City in 2022.

Doku scored his 12th Premier League goal, but only his second as a substitute (also October 2024 v Fulham) – he is the third sub to score at Anfield for City in the competition after George Weah in September 2000 and Bernardo Silva in January 2018.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are now winless in eight in the Premier League when facing the team starting the day top of the league (D6 L2), their second-worst run behind nine matches between 2002 and 2008.

Andoni Iraola, whose unbeaten start has come to an end, may point to that dubious decision to send Gravenberch off, but overall, his team were second-best.

The Reds only registered 0.86 expected goals, with just 0.38 xG coming from open play. For a team littered with big-money attackers such as Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, and backed by a fierce crowd, more might have been expected.