▲ Erling Haaland scoring the opening goal
Manchester City extended their winning streak to six games at the start of the season, dominating Liverpool away despite a turbulent atmosphere following the club's guilty verdict for massive financial rule violations.
Manchester City secured a 3-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield in Liverpool, England, scoring all three goals in the second half.
With this victory, Manchester City extended their opening winning streak to six matches, firmly maintaining the top spot in the league and widening the gap with the chasing pack to 3 points.
The tight, scoreless match tipped heavily in Manchester City's favor in the 17th minute of the second half when Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch received a red card and was sent off.
Capitalizing on their numerical advantage, Manchester City broke the deadlock just three minutes later in the 20th minute of the second half with an opening goal by Erling Haaland.
Gaining momentum, Manchester City sealed the away victory as Jeremy Doku scored in the 23rd minute of the second half, followed by Rayan Cherki in the 33rd minute.
The match marked Manchester City's first game since they were found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial regulations spanning from the 2009-2010 season to the 2017-2018 season.
Previously, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of illegally inflating revenues by more than 900 million pounds (approx. 1.6 trillion KRW) over nine seasons starting from 2009 through "false" side letters with commercial partners.
Amid discussions of severe penalties such as points deductions or relegation from the league, hostile jeers rained down from Liverpool fans, who had frequently missed out on titles to City in past title races.
However, Manchester City remained unshaken.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca drew a line, stating, "We cannot control things outside of football, so I don't stress about them. I only focus on what I can control, like our game plan and training."
Star striker Haaland, who scored the opening goal, also shared his thoughts on the victory, saying, "It was a difficult situation, but we showed incredible mentality. It was most important to be mentally prepared, stick together, and show the 'good football' we are capable of playing."
The Manchester City club has already filed an appeal against the Premier League's guilty verdict.
However, until the final level of punishment is determined, the points Manchester City accumulates on the pitch remain in a "conditional" status.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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