Manchester City, led by Enzo Maresca, beat Liverpool with a resounding 3‑0 at Anfield, their first match after the Premier League declared the “citizen” club responsible for 115 infractions for violations of financial regulations. The result not only marked the Reds' first defeat of the season, but also relegated them to ninth position, nine points behind the leader.
The match, which was played under the command of Andoni Iraola, showed City's superiority in all phases. The visitors dominated the midfield and created several clear chances, while Liverpool, with ten players, struggled to maintain defensive cohesion. The decisive goal came thanks to the performance of Jérémy Doku, who opened the scoring and consolidated the visitor's advantage.
With the victory, Manchester City remains at the top of the table, although Arsenal, which is three points behind, remains the main rival in the fight for the title. Arsenal have maintained a consistent position in the top half of the table, and the points difference over City indicates that the championship race will remain tight.
At the bottom of the table, Fulham, under the direction of Álvaro Arbeloa, occupies the last place, just one point from the relegation zone. Bournemouth, Iraola's former team, is just above them, while Coventry and Tottenham occupy the penultimate and penultimate positions respectively. Coventry will have the opportunity to improve their position by facing Newcastle in the next round.
City's result at Anfield reinforces their dominant position in the Premier League and makes it clear that the club will remain the main title contenders. Meanwhile, Liverpool will have to reorganize quickly to avoid falling further down the table and seek recovery in their next matches.