Liverpool were the better side for an hour. Then Gravenberch's second yellow, and three City goals in 13 minutes.
The numbers
| Liverpool | Manchester City | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 35% | 65% |
| Shots | 13 | 15 |
| On target | 6 | 4 |
| xG | 0.94 | 1.28 |
| Touches in opp. box | 16 | 33 |
| Passes | 296 | 551 |
Result the chances deserved: Liverpool 27% / 28% / Manchester City 44% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Araújo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Muñoz, Wirtz, Barcola, Koumas.
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, O'Reilly, Anderson, Ndiaye, Cherki, Fernández, Semenyo, Haaland.
Manchester City subs: Doku (56', Ndiaye), Gvardiol (66', O'Reilly), Bouaddi & Allan (80', Fernández & Haaland). City manager: Enzo Maresca.
Cards: Araújo 8' (dissent), Gravenberch 47' and 62' (second yellow, sent off), O'Reilly 58', Bouaddi 86', Van Dijk 90+1'. Line-ups, formations, minutes and cards from FotMob; mancity.com gives some substitutions a minute later or earlier (Nyoni 67', Frimpong and Ngumoha 74'), and Sofascore lists City in a 4-2-3-1. Attendance 60,338.
Key moments, move by move
- Liverpool have been down to ten men for under three minutes. Doku has the ball on City's left.
- He cuts inside into the box and shoots.
- Mac Allister blocks it and the ball runs loose.
- Haaland gets in front of Van Dijk and hits it first time, left-footed, from around the edge of the box.
- Anderson finds Doku wide on the left.
- Doku runs at Liverpool's right side, the same route as the opener.
- Araújo and Muñoz can't stop him coming inside onto his right foot.
- He curls it over Alisson into the far top corner.
- City keep the ball for 41 passes, the longest move to end in a Premier League goal since September 2023 (Yahoo Sports).
- Anderson plays it towards Cherki, who steps over it and lets it run to Gvardiol.
- Gvardiol flicks it straight back into Cherki's path in the box.
- Cherki drags it past Frimpong and slides it under Alisson.
A compact block that held for 62 minutes
- The plan. With Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai out, Iraola gave Koumas his first Premier League start, with Muñoz and Barcola wide and Wirtz at No 10, in a compact 4-2-3-1 (The False 9). In the first half City had 54% of the ball but only 0.07 xG to Liverpool's 0.42 (Sofascore). Maresca: City were "on the ball but not so much off the ball".
- The price: fouls. Liverpool committed ten of the 18 first-half fouls, the most in a first half at Anfield since November 2021 (Opta, via The False 9). Araújo was booked for dissent at 8' and Gravenberch for a foul at 47' (FotMob). At 62' Gravenberch clipped Doku to stop a counter-attack: second yellow.
- City's change. Doku came on for Ndiaye at 56' and Gvardiol for O'Reilly at 66'. Doku had five dribbles, the most of any City player (Opta Analyst): his shot made the opener, he scored the second, and Gvardiol set up the third. After the break City had 76% of the ball (Sofascore).
- Near misses: just after half-time Donnarumma saved from Koumas and Gravenberch and Mac Allister curled wide, three shots in about a minute (Opta Analyst). Around the hour Haaland ran through on Alisson from Semenyo's reverse pass and missed (liverpoolfc.com). Donnarumma made six saves in all (Sofascore).
Tactical scenes
City's change at 56' put Doku on the left, against a Liverpool right side where Araújo had been booked at 8' and Gravenberch at 47'. Doku kept running inside: one run ended with Gravenberch's second yellow, and the next two started City's first two goals.
Evidence: Doku had five dribbles, the most of any City player, after coming on at 56'; his runs led to the 62' red card and the 65' and 68' goals (Opta Analyst, liverpoolfc.com). Opta Analyst · Liverpool FC report · FotMob (cards, substitutions)
With Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai out, Liverpool's best route to goal was a dead ball. A Wirtz set piece found Mac Allister at the near post, and Mac Allister's own free kick drew a save from Donnarumma. In open play Liverpool created little.
Evidence: Liverpool had 0.86 xG, only 0.38 of it from open play (Opta Analyst); they won the first-half corner count 4-2 (Sofascore). Opta Analyst · Sofascore report · Liverpool FC report · The National (Mac Allister free kick)
Recreate it in FM26
Liverpool · Iraola's compact 4-2-3-1 against City · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Iraola's compact 4-2-3-1 against City
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Alisson | Goalkeeper | Line-Holding Keeper |
| RB | Araújo | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RCB | Jacquet | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Van Dijk | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Kerkez | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Gravenberch | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Mac Allister | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Muñoz | Winger | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Wirtz | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Barcola | Inside Forward | Inside Outlet Winger |
| ST | Koumas | Channel Forward | Tracking Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
- Passing DirectnessMore Direct
- TempoHigher
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementMid Block
- Trigger PressMore Often
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: Wirtz screens City's holding midfielder, Koumas and Muñoz jump on the centre-backs when the ball goes sideways, and the full-backs stay tight to the wingers. You need a striker with the stamina to press for an hour and midfielders who can tackle without getting booked.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce this referee: the match turned on a second yellow, so watch your midfielders' cards and change the Tackling instruction once they're booked.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-3-3, Endo on at 48' (for Gravenberch), Frimpong on at 57' (for Araújo). A third central midfielder, then Endo for the booked Gravenberch and Frimpong against Doku. It doesn't make Liverpool more dangerous, but it removes the second yellow that turned an even game. It moves Liverpool's win chance from 27% to 38% (xG 0.94–1.28 becomes 0.89–0.68). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Liverpool needed
Wataru Endo
Liverpool's block held City to 0.07 first-half xG, but the midfield did it by fouling: ten fouls before the break and Gravenberch booked at 47'. Endo's job is to screen and tackle for the last half-hour. On for Gravenberch at the start of the second half, he takes away the second yellow that turned the game.
Elliot Anderson
Liverpool's problem after the break was the ball: 77 accurate passes in the second half to City's 291. Anderson completed 71 of 78 passes, was fouled eight times and set up Doku's goal. A press-resistant midfielder who draws fouls instead of committing them is what Liverpool's midfield lacked.
What the analysts said
“I think we played two different games – one until the red card and one from the red card until the end.”Andoni Iraola
“I think the first foul of Ryan is never a yellow card – never.”Andoni Iraola
“Second half the red card changed the game, especially when you concede quickly afterwards.”Virgil van Dijk
“We struggled first half, we were on the ball but not so much off the ball.”Enzo Maresca
Liverpool's plan worked for an hour. Ten men against Doku was a different game.
What's happening. Liverpool lost 3–0 at home to Man City, their first defeat under Iraola. It was 0–0 when Gravenberch got a second yellow on 62 minutes. City then scored three times in 13 minutes.
How it works. Without Isak, Gakpo and Szoboszlai, Iraola chose a compact 4-2-3-1 that pressed in bursts. It kept City's possession harmless for an hour. The cost was fouls: a block that stops moves early collects bookings, and Araújo and Gravenberch were already on yellows when Doku came on. A fresh dribbler against a booked defender is a bad match-up, and City found it within six minutes.
What the shots say. Before the red card the chances favoured Liverpool. Over 90 minutes City led on xG, 1.28 to 0.94 (FotMob), and more than half of Liverpool's came from set pieces (Opta). One reading: the plan was sound and the red card decided it. The other: an attack with almost no open-play chances needs a clean sheet to win games like this.