Manchester City brushed off intense crowd hostility and off-field distractions to secure a decisive 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Playing their first match since being found guilty of financial breaches by an independent panel, City faced loud jeers, taunts and chants from the home crowd. However the visitors took full control of the match in the second half after Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second yellow card around the 60th minute.
City capitalized quickly on the advantage. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 65th minute with a neat finish from Jeremy Doku’s deflected cross. Just three minutes later Doku doubled the lead with a curling strike into the top corner before Rayan Cherki added a late third to seal the result.
The win keeps City at the top of the Premier League table with a 100% winning record, three points clear of defending champions Arsenal. Head coach Enzo Maresca praised his squad's focus with noting that the team handled the "outside noise" and delivered a performance that gave traveling fans plenty to celebrate.
In other Premier League action, newly promoted Hull City fought back to claim a 2-2 draw against Everton while Crystal Palace came from behind to defeat former manager Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
