As Manchester City’s celebrating players danced before Noel Gallagher, Alfie Haaland and the rest of the away support — surrounded by inflatable bananas — the Anfield DJ added to the moment by playing Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies.”
The match had been marketed as a blockbuster, but much of the spectacle failed to live up to the billing. For Liverpool and Andoni Iraola, however, the afternoon exposed several uncomfortable truths.
For the second consecutive season, Liverpool found themselves unable to contain the extraordinary attacking quality of Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland. In one decisive spell, and despite being reduced to 10 men, City showed precisely where Iraola’s team still falls short.
It was Iraola’s first loss since leaving Bournemouth, but it also reinforced concerns that may have emerged during his opening months on Merseyside — particularly the underwhelming form of several expensive signings.
Florian Wirtz was arguably the most disappointing of the 22 starting players, while Bradley Barcola has offered little to justify the excitement surrounding his move from Paris Saint-Germain. Both produced occasional flashes, but neither marquee signing made a significant enough impact.
Barcola can reasonably expect patience as he adapts to a new club and league. Wirtz, though, is no longer settling in as a newcomer and now needs to turn his promise into consistent performances.
Victor Munoz was one of the few bright spots for Liverpool on an otherwise bleak afternoon
Wirtz and Barcola cost Liverpool a combined £239 million, yet they were outshone by the less heralded forwards alongside them: Lewis Koumas, making his first Premier League start, and Victor Munoz, a new arrival from Osasuna who cost £34.5 million — a modest fee by modern football standards.
Koumas harried City with tireless pressing, while Munoz repeatedly unsettled their defence. Barcola, by contrast, became too easy to read, and Wirtz too often chose the wrong option whenever he found space in dangerous areas.
Liverpool had opportunities to win the game, particularly in the spells either side of half-time. Yet the home side appeared to lack conviction, hesitating when openings emerged behind the City defence instead of attacking them decisively.
There are important qualifications before judging Iraola’s side too harshly. Liverpool were reduced to 10 men after a controversial red card, while Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai were all watching from the stands.
The Reds have scored seven league goals this season, with six of them coming from that absent trio. Without those key attacking players, Liverpool lacked their usual threat and looked short of a cutting edge.
The match also highlighted a familiar concern: Iraola’s squad does not possess enough depth, an issue that was repeatedly raised during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool’s big-money recruits produced another frustrating performance on Sunday
With Isak unavailable, Liverpool had to turn to Koumas. He is an impressive young player with considerable potential, but only last season he was competing in the Championship with Hull City.
There were positives in Liverpool’s display. Before the dismissal, the defence remained well organised and Alisson was rarely called upon, despite City finding space through off-the-ball movements from players such as O’Reilly and Anderson.
Szoboszlai’s absence was noticeable, but Liverpool’s midfield looked well balanced. Ryan Gravenberch delivered one of his strongest performances for some time before the red card, while he and Alexis Mac Allister both tested Gianluigi Donnarumma with long-range efforts.
Gravenberch, Iraola and his staff were justified in feeling aggrieved by the dismissal. The first foul did not appear worthy of a booking and is rarely punished in that manner, with referee Chris Kavanagh seemingly reaching for his card too quickly.
The decision changed the entire contest and raised fresh questions about VAR’s role. Under IFAB’s current regulations, a second yellow card can be reviewed, but the initial booking cannot. The logic behind that distinction remains difficult to understand.
Even before the red card, Liverpool had failed to seize control of the occasion. City absorbed the intensity of a hostile, animated Anfield and had already survived the most dangerous period of the contest.
Lewis Koumas made first Premier League start against City and looked lively but is only young
After Gravenberch’s exit, Iraola’s men were frazzled and crumbled far too easily. They felt like a boxer that had received a hefty jab and just could not find their balance again. Three goals went in and the only surprise was that it was not more.
‘They were not smart enough, don’t be letting them off the hook just because they had 10 men,’ said Roy Keane on Sky Sports.
With 11 men on the pitch and the best goal threats back from injury, this game might have ended much differently.
But the problem for Iraola is that his depth – or lack thereof – was brutally exposed, and the gap in quality between Liverpool and league leaders Manchester City, however much of that is reality and not a sham, was highlighted for all to see.
