Liverpool lost 0-3 to Man City: Wirtz and Szoboszlai disappointed
Liverpool lost 0-3 to Man City. Mamardashvili saved Haaland's penalty but the defense still made mistakes; Van Dijk's equalizer header was denied, Wirtz was the highlight.
Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat to Man City on a day when many of their key players were underperforming. Mamardashvili saved Haaland's penalty but defensive errors made the effort meaningless; Van Dijk's equalising header was ruled out for offside, while Wirtz was a rare highlight up front.
Key events: decisive moments
Man City took the lead when Haaland headed home after an attacking build-up that Liverpool's defence failed to defend well. Doku had earlier won a penalty but Haaland's 11m shot was saved by Mamardashvili.
Van Dijk thought he had brought Liverpool back into the game with a fine header, but VAR ruled his teammate offside and the goal was disallowed. Elsewhere, a defensive error allowed Gonzalez to score, widening the gap. Robertson was also slow to close in on Nunes in the opening goal.
Tactical angle: why Liverpool is at a disadvantage
The script on the pitch reflected Liverpool’s problems on the day. The right flank was heavily exploited as Bradley was often caught one-on-one with Doku and struggled, although he still had a few dangerous crosses when he moved forward.
Lack of control in midfield. Gravenberch tried to compete but to no avail, while Mac Allister had trouble distributing the ball and was booked for a foul on Doku. Szoboszlai was lackluster in his organizing role, barely creating any breakthroughs.
Up front, Wirtz kept possession and was technically sound, but lacked the connection to convert into clear-cut chances. Salah was energetic in the absence of support, once creating a corner threat that led to a goal being disallowed. Ekitike was wide and aggressive but rarely received the ball at the right time and left the pitch early in the second half.
Liverpool player rating
| Player | Point | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Giorgi Mamardashvili | 6.4 | Fouled Doku leading to penalty but saved Haaland's 11m shot; many solid saves despite conceding three goals. |
| Conor Bradley | 5.8 | Struggled in one-on-one situations with Doku; still left some dangerous crosses when attacking. |
| Ibrahima Konate | 5.7 | Positional error for Haaland's opener; inaccurate intervention, lacking the expected certainty. |
| Virgil van Dijk | 6.2 | Header ruled out for offside; clearance before Gonzalez scores. |
| Andy Robertson | 5.9 | Slow to close in on Nunes in the situation leading to the opening goal; then made an offside error in the play, causing Van Dijk's equalizer to be disallowed. |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | 5.8 | Lackluster in organizing role; unable to create breakthroughs and was blocked throughout the match. |
| Ryan Gravenberch | 6.0 | Tried to compete but was ineffective, outclassed by Man City's mobile midfield. |
| Alexis Mac Allister | 6.0 | Difficult to control midfield; yellow carded for foul on Doku; unable to show usual ball distribution. |
| Mohamed Salah | 6.2 | Active in a lack of support; created a dangerous play from a corner, but the goal was disallowed. |
| Florian Wirtz | 6.3 | Keep the ball, good technique; lack of connection to create clear breakthroughs. |
| Hugo Ekitike | 6.3 | Moved widely, played aggressively but did not receive the ball at the right time; few clear chances, left the field early in the second half. |
