LONDON — Manchester City silenced a hostile Anfield crowd as second-half goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki secured a 3-0 victory over 10-man Liverpool on Sunday and maintained the English Premier League leaders’ perfect start to the season.
City were playing for the first time since an independent commission found them guilty of 114 breaches of the league’s financial rules, and were greeted by deafening boos and angry chants.
But Enzo Maresca’s side stood firm against Liverpool’s early pressure and a fevered atmosphere before taking control after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off in the 62nd minute for a second booking following a foul on Doku.
Haaland then struck three minutes later, smashing a left-footed shot past Alisson after Doku worked the ball into the box and his attempted shot was deflected into the path of the big Norwegian, Reuters reported.
Doku doubled the lead in the 68th minute with a gorgeous long-range shot that curled into the far top corner.
Cherki completed the rout in the 78th minute when he let the ball roll through to Josko Gvardiol before turning into the box to meet his teammate’s pass and slot the ball home.
The victory gave City six wins from six and moved them three points clear of Arsenal on 18 points, providing a forceful response on the pitch after a turbulent week away from it. Liverpool are ninth after their first league loss of the season.
