An even, scrappy hour, then Gravenberch's second yellow: City score three in 13 minutes and make it six from six.
The numbers
| Manchester City | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 65% | 35% |
| Shots | 15 | 13 |
| On target | 4 | 6 |
| xG | 1.28 | 0.94 |
| Corners | 6 | 5 |
| Pass accuracy | 88.7% | 80.4% |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester City 44% / 28% / Liverpool 27% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, O'Reilly, Fernández, Anderson, Ndiaye, Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Muñoz, Wirtz, Barcola, Koumas.
Liverpool subs: Nyoni (66', Wirtz), Frimpong (75', Araujo), Ngumoha (75', Koumas), Gomez (88', Jacquet), Chiesa (88', Barcola). Liverpool head coach: Andoni Iraola. Red card: Gravenberch (62', second yellow; first at 47'). Yellow cards: Araujo (8'), O'Reilly (58'), Bouaddi (86'), Van Dijk (90+1'). Both sides 4-2-3-1 (Sofascore); FotMob has City in a 4-1-4-1. Liverpool's sub minutes from Liverpool FC; City's site gives 67' and 74'. City's site also gives 66' for Haaland's goal and has Doku cutting in from the right; Liverpool FC, NBC and Sports Mole describe him coming in from the left, which we follow.
Key moments, move by move
- Doku runs at Liverpool's defence from the left and cuts inside into the box.
- His shot hits Mac Allister and the ball spins into the middle.
- Haaland gets in front of Van Dijk and drives it in left-footed from around the edge of the box.
- Anderson finds Doku on the left.
- Doku moves infield across the edge of the box, away from his marker.
- He curls it over Alisson into the far top corner.
- City keep the ball for 41 passes, the longest move before a Premier League goal since 2023.
- Anderson finds Cherki, who dummies and lets it run to Gvardiol.
- Gvardiol flicks it straight back. Cherki steps over the ball, his dragback takes him past Frimpong and he finishes under Alisson.
One game for an hour, another with ten men: City kept the ball and let Doku go one-on-one
- The first hour was Liverpool's. Iraola's side pressed man-to-man and fouled to stop City's moves: City made 0.07 xG in the first half to Liverpool's 0.42 (Sofascore). Maresca: "In the build-up, we were not doing the right things."
- The red card changed what Liverpool could do. Gravenberch's second yellow (62', for a foul on Doku) left a 4-4-1. Iraola: "It's already difficult to press them when it's 11 v 11, but with one less, it becomes a different game."
- City took the ball and kept it. They had 76% of the ball after half-time and 291 accurate passes to Liverpool's 77, and made 1.23 of their 1.30 xG in the second half (Sofascore). Cherki's goal came at the end of 41 passes.
- Doku against a tiring right side. On at 56', he drew the second yellow, made the first goal with a run in from the left and scored the second the same way. With ten men, Liverpool could no longer put two players on him.
Tactical scenes
Liverpool tracked City's passers man-for-man and fouled to stop moves before they started. City's short build-up kept running into a marker; Liverpool's best moments came from second balls and set plays.
Evidence: First half: Liverpool 0.42 xG, City 0.07; Liverpool won more of the duels and City had 54% of the ball. City's xG before the red card was 0.16. Sofascore report · Liverpool FC match report · Sky Sports report (xG before the red card)
After the red card City spread their back four, kept both holding midfielders behind the ball and passed around Liverpool's 4-4-1. Every switch made a tired Liverpool block shuffle again.
Evidence: Second half: City 76% possession, 291 accurate passes to Liverpool's 77, and 1.23 of City's 1.30 xG. City took 11 of their 15 shots after the red card (Premier League). The third goal came at the end of a 41-pass move. Sofascore report · Premier League: what we learned · Sky Sports stats (Opta)
Recreate it in FM26
Manchester City · Manchester City's patience against ten men · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Manchester City's patience against ten men
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Donnarumma | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| RB | Nunes | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Dias | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Guéhi | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | O'Reilly | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Fernández | Defensive Midfielder | Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Anderson | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Ndiaye | Winger | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Cherki | Free Role | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Semenyo | Inside Forward | Winger |
| ST | Haaland | Poacher | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking TransitionPatient Build-Up
- DribblingEncouraged
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementMid Block
- Defensive LineStandard
- Cross EngagementContest
The idea: Two holding midfielders who never lose the ball (Anderson completed 71 of 78 passes) and a Free Role carrier in the middle. The goals come when a fresh Inside Forward (Doku from the bench) gets the ball one-on-one after the opponent has been made to run.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce the red card that turned an even hour into a 3–0.
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: Doku on at 46' (for Ndiaye), Kovačić on at 46' (for Fernández). Keep the shape but fix the first half: Kovačić to beat the man-to-man press and Doku at the break instead of 56'. City probably still need the red card to win this big, but they'd have been better at 11 v 11. It moves Manchester City's win chance from 44% to 50% (xG 1.28–0.94 becomes 1.48–0.94). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester City needed
Phil Foden
Against man-to-man pressing the player who drops between the lines drags a marker with him and opens a passing lane. Foden does that better than anyone in City's squad, and City's first-half problem was exactly that: 0.07 xG at half-time.
Vitinha
Liverpool's press beat City's short passing for an hour. Vitinha receives on the half-turn under pressure and plays forward first time, which is the skill that breaks a man-to-man press without needing a red card.
What the analysts said
“In the second half, we made some adjustments and we were much better.”Enzo Maresca
“With one more player, it was easier to keep the ball, but I am very happy with three points.”Enzo Maresca
“It's already difficult to press them when it's 11 v 11, but with one less, it becomes a different game.”Andoni Iraola
“Second half, the red card changed the game, especially when you concede quickly afterwards.”Virgil van Dijk
“It's barely a foul. It's a shocking decision.”Jamie Carragher (Sky Sports)
For an hour Liverpool were the better side, and then City had the ball and Doku.
What's happening. City won 3–0 at Anfield to make it six league wins from six. Before Gravenberch's second yellow at 62', their chances were worth almost nothing. They then scored three times in 13 minutes. Doku came off the bench and changed the game.
How it works. A man-to-man press works by giving every passer a marker. It costs running and fouls, and it breaks when one player is missing: someone is always free. After the red card City passed around Liverpool, and Doku could take on a full-back with no one helping. Keeping the ball against ten men is how you make them run.
What the shots say. Over 90 minutes City made the better chances and Liverpool did not have one big chance. Read the other way, Liverpool were ahead on chances until the red card, and Donnarumma made six saves. Both are true: City defended the press well, but the red card decided when they scored.