Man City 3-0 Liverpool: Guardiola’s 1,000th Game Becomes Title Statement as Doku Destroys Reds
Manchester City celebrated Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th match as a manager with a performance that screamed one thing: we’re back. A ruthless 3-0 demolition of Liverpool cut Arsenal’s lead to just four points and served brutal notice to the Premier League – the champions are waking up.
Key Points – November 9, 2025
- Final score: Man City 3-0 Liverpool (Haaland 18’, González 44’, Foden 67’)
- Guardiola’s 1,000th game: 734 wins, 147 draws, 119 losses (73.4% win rate)
- City close gap to leaders Arsenal to 4 points (Arsenal 33, City 29, Liverpool 25)
- Doku vs Bradley: 11/11 dribbles completed, 17 duels won – most ever by a PL player in single game
- Liverpool’s 5th defeat in 11 games – already more than entire 2024-25 title-winning season (4)
- Haaland 99th Premier League goal (127 games – fastest ever to milestone)
The 19-Pass Masterpiece That Broke Liverpool
Minute 18. Corner flag. Liverpool pressing like wolves.
What followed was pure Guardiola DNA: 19 passes, 28 seconds, zero panic. Nunes → Gvardiol → Cherki → Silva → Foden → Nunes cross → Haaland bullet header.
1-0. Game over.
Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville: “That goal should be framed in the Etihad museum. Nineteen passes from a corner flag to a Haaland header. Footballing porn.”
Jeremy Doku: The £55m Bargain Who Became Unstoppable
Remember when Doku was “raw talent”? Not anymore.
Against Conor Bradley – fresh from bossing Real Madrid – the Belgian was unplayable:
- 11/11 take-ons
- 17 duels won
- 9 key passes
- 1 penalty won
- 1 assist
Bradley fouled out exhausted on 73 minutes. Doku left to a standing ovation.
Guardiola post-match: “Jeremy is now the complete winger. Pace, power, decision-making – everything.”
Liverpool’s £450m Revolution? Still Under Construction
Summer spending: £448m Result at Etihad: 0 shots on target after 30 minutes.
- Hugo Ekitike: 12 touches, subbed 60’
- Florian Wirtz: 29 touches, 0/6 duels won, “what a waste of money” chants
- Alexander Isak: unused substitute (groin)
- Giorgi Mamardashvili: 7 saves but 3 goals conceded
Wirtz’s £116m move from Leverkusen was meant to replace Szoboszlai’s creativity. Instead, City fans reminded him why he rejected them with brutal precision.
Slot’s honest assessment: “We’re integrating £450m of talent. Some need time. Today showed how far we still have to go.”
Premier League Table After Matchday 11
| Pos | Team | P | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 11 | 33 | +19 |
| 2 | Man City | 11 | 29 | +17 |
| 3 | Brighton | 11 | 24 | +9 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 11 | 25 | +12 |
City have a game in hand. The four-point gap feels paper-thin.
Guardiola’s 1,000 Games: The Numbers Behind the Genius
- Barcelona: 247 games, 179 wins, 3 La Liga, 2 Champions League
- Bayern Munich: 161 games, 121 wins, 3 Bundesliga
- Man City: 592 games, 434 wins, 7 Premier League, 1 Champions League
Win percentage: 73.4% – highest of any manager with 500+ games.
His message to players post-match: “Thank you for this present. Now rest, come back hungry. The real work starts now.”
What This Means for the Title Race
Arsenal dropped points at Sunderland 24 hours earlier. City responded with their biggest statement win since the 2022-23 treble.
Arteta’s WhatsApp to Guardiola after the game? “See you soon, boss.”
Next six for City: Spurs (A), United (H), Liverpool (H), Villa (A), Palace (H), Everton (A). The machine is humming.
The Verdict: City Are Back – And They’re Angry
This wasn’t just three points. This was revenge for last season’s dropped title. This was Guardiola proving doubters wrong. This was Doku announcing himself as Europe’s scariest winger.
Liverpool’s £450m project got schooled by a team that spent £0 net last summer.
Slot has work to do. Arteta has sleepless nights ahead. Guardiola? He’s just getting started.
The Premier League just got its monster back.
