-
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola questioned Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal after Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield.
-
Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored in the second half as City capitalised on Liverpool’s numerical disadvantage.
-
Iraola said Liverpool performed well for 60 minutes before the red card changed the contest, while former players Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville also criticised the decision.
October 11, (THEWILL) – Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has questioned the decision to send off Ryan Gravenberch as his side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday.
Gravenberch received a second yellow card in the 62nd minute following a challenge on Jeremy Doku, leaving Liverpool with 10 players.
Manchester City took advantage of their numerical superiority, scoring three goals in the space of 13 minutes to secure a convincing victory and maintain their perfect start to the league season.
“There were two different games: one until the red card, and then one after,” Iraola said after the match.
“For 60 minutes, the players were very good. The second game from the red card was where City were better than us.”
Liverpool had grown into the contest after a relatively quiet first half and created opportunities to take the lead following the restart.
Lewis Koumas forced a save from City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister also threatened as the hosts attempted to build momentum.
However, Gravenberch’s dismissal proved to be the turning point.
The midfielder had already received a yellow card for a challenge on Elliot Anderson before being booked again for bringing down Doku as the City winger attempted to launch an attack.
Iraola questioned the first booking, arguing that the challenge on Anderson did not warrant a yellow card.
“The first yellow card was just a kick in the toe. It was nothing. It was a normal foul,” the Liverpool manager said.
Manchester City needed only three minutes to exploit their numerical advantage.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the 65th minute, finishing from close range after Doku’s attacking move resulted in the ball falling into the Norwegian striker’s path.
Doku extended City’s lead in the 68th minute with an impressive curling effort into the far corner, leaving Liverpool struggling to contain the visitors.
READ ALSO:
Rayan Cherki then completed the scoring in the 78th minute, finishing from close range after a well-worked move involving Josko Gvardiol.
The dismissal also attracted criticism from television pundits. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher questioned the referee’s decision to issue the second yellow card, while former Manchester United midfielder Gary Neville described the dismissal as “very, very soft”.
Despite the defeat, Iraola praised his players’ effort and said their performance before the dismissal had encouraged him.
“I am very proud of my players. They put the work rate and everything in today,” he said, acknowledging that Liverpool ultimately failed to secure a result despite their competitive showing during the opening hour.
The defeat ended Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign and left them ninth in the standings, while Manchester City moved three points clear at the top with six victories from six matches.
Liverpool will now look to recover from the setback and address the issues exposed by the defeat, while Iraola’s comments are likely to keep the debate over Gravenberch’s dismissal alive.
For City, the result reinforced their early title credentials and demonstrated their ability to turn a closely contested match into a decisive victory.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
