Liverpool 0–3 at Man City | Premier League
Arne Slot admitted Liverpool were “outplayed” at the Etihad and said the responsibility lies with his game plan, not his players, after a bruising 3-0 defeat left the champions eighth and eight points off Arsenal.
Erling Haaland’s glancing header, a deflected Nico González strike on the stroke of half-time and a curling finish from Jeremy Doku sealed a statement win for Pep Guardiola in his 1,000th match as a manager. Virgil van Dijk saw a close-range effort ruled out for offside at 1-0, a moment Slot felt swung the contest but didn’t disguise City’s superiority before the break.
“It wasn’t about my players not wanting duels,” Slot said. “We struggled with them bringing so many into the centre. That’s on the game plan first and foremost. In the second half we were better and deserved a goal, but City were far more effective.”
Slot kept faith with the XI that beat Real Madrid 1-0 in midweek after a 2-0 win over Aston Villa, but the step up in tempo and technical quality at the Etihad exposed Liverpool’s current limits. City manipulated central spaces, forced Liverpool’s midfield to chase, and punished lapses around set-pieces and second balls.
What went wrong
- Central overloads: City repeatedly outnumbered Liverpool between the lines, dragging the press out of shape.
- Set-piece swing: The second goal, arriving just before half-time, undercut Liverpool’s chances of building momentum.
- Efficiency gap: As Slot noted, City turned half-chances into goals; Liverpool’s brighter second-half spells lacked the final action.
The manager’s stance
Slot was unequivocal that the tactical approach must improve: “I’d look at the game plan first and not blame my players at all.” He also drew a line to last season’s meetings: Liverpool have previously ridden out early pressure via set-pieces; here, City created more and finished more ruthlessly.
The bigger picture
With five league defeats from 11, the champions’ title defence is already under strain. The realistic short-term priority is simple: stabilise and bank points to reassert a top-four footing while rediscovering intensity and compactness without the ball.
What’s next
An international break interlude, then a home fixture against Nottingham Forest — on paper a more forgiving run that has to yield points if Liverpool are to reset their season trajectory.
