Manchester City fell to their eighth league defeat of the season after losing 2-0 to league leaders Liverpool.
It was a frustrating evening for Pep Guardiola and his players who wilted under the pressure of the contest.
The match was virtually over by the interval. Mohamed Salah fortuitously broke the deadlock with a deflected effort before Dominik Szoboszlai finished past Ederson.
As the Manchester rain cascaded down at the Etihad Stadium in the second half, the hosts’ attempts to breach Alisson’s net lacked conviction.
Liverpool FC have completed their first Premier League double over Manchester City since 2016 😮💥 pic.twitter.com/vNEsdDeYkw
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 23, 2025
City had the lion’s share of possession in the second half, but their dominance came to no avail and Liverpool deservedly collected the victory.
Guardiola would have demanded a reaction from his players after a Champions League exit to Real Madrid during midweek. He didn’t get one. Here’s how we rated the individual performances.
Manchester City Player Ratings vs Liverpool
Ederson – 5
There was nothing the Brazilian could do about the opening goal. The deflection off Nathan Ake gave the attempt the necessary height to beat the goalkeeper.
Ederson was flat-footed for Liverpool’s second with his view unsighted by the flurry of City shirts trying to block Szoboszlai’s effort. Aside from the goals, the stopper didn’t have much to do.
Rico Lewis – 3
It was a poor showing from Lewis who struggled to deal with the tenacity of Liverpool.
The full-back crumbled under the pressure from Szoboszlai in the build-up to the opener. The 20-year-old drifted centrally to pick up pockets of space and add an extra man in midfield.
He displayed neat footwork and courage in tight areas to create a chance for Omar Marnoush. The Egyptian converted but was offside.
Guardiola’s defensive conundrum continues with injuries and inconsistent performances forcing him to chop and change.
Abdukodir Khusanov – 6
It’s been a challenging start to life in English football for January signing Khusanov.
The Uzbekistan international desperately dived to try and block Szoboszlai’s goal. Unfortunately for the defender, the effort rolled through his legs. However, he was proactive in his defending and regained possession on 12 occasions, the most of any player in the Premier League this weekend. Signs of improvement from the youngster.
No player won possession on more occasions than Abdukodir Khusanov in the Premier League this gameweek (12).
A bright spark on a not-so-bright day for Manchester City. 👏 pic.twitter.com/YBjO7Q1wct
— Squawka (@Squawka) February 23, 2025
Nathan Ake – 3
Ake arguably should’ve got out to Salah quicker to block the shot instead of helping the opener in.
In fairness to the Dutchman, every Sky Blue shirt was motionless after being caught off guard by the moment of ingenuity from their opponents. They couldn’t react in time to the unexpected set-piece routine.
The defender was run ragged by the likes of Salah and Szoboszlai all evening and will be glad to see the back of the pair.
Josko Gvardiol – 3
It was a disappointing showing from Gvardiol who didn’t impose himself on the occasion.
His misplaced square pass in the opening exchanges wasn’t punished, but it was an early indication of City’s shortcomings.
The Croatian defender let Salah have the freedom of the right flank to wreak havoc and stamp his influence on the match. He wasn’t attentive enough in his tracking of the league’s top scorer for the second goal.
Nico Gonzalez – 4
In only his second Premier League start, the Spaniard was tasked with being the lone defensive midfielder. The January acquisition looked overwhelmed by the devastating duo of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Still acclimatising to English football.
Savinho – 5
The Brazilian grew into proceedings after a quiet first half. He tried to fashion chances using his speed but was often halted by a Liverpool defender. Savinho is still incredibly raw and his end product needs work.
Kevin De Bruyne – 3
The ageing midfielder dropped deep to try and dictate proceedings. However, he couldn’t have the desired effect on the game and uncharacteristically misplaced a few simple passes.
De Bruyne faded into anonymity in the second half and was the first alteration of the contest as he made way for James McAtee.
Phil Foden – 3
Out of possession, the City academy product was deployed as a false nine.
He couldn’t get proper purchase on what was the first on target of the game from the edge of the box. Foden then selfishly decided to shoot from a 30-yard free-kick with several teammates expecting a delivery.
Overall, he failed to adequately deputise for the absent Erling Haaland. The Norwegian’s formidable frame enables him to be a focal point, but Foden couldn’t protect the ball in the same vein.
Jeremy Doku – 6
The 22-year-old had the beating of Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, the Belgian was unable to turn his bypassing of the defender into tangible reward. After his team went behind, Doku was a lot more adventurous and was City’s brightest spark of what was an otherwise flat and timid display.
Omar Marmoush – 5
Marmoush tried his luck from distance on a couple of occasions after recording his first career hat-trick last weekend against Newcastle. The shots didn’t trouble Alisson but was a sign of intent from the forward.
The former Frankfurt man thought he had restored parity on the stroke of the half-hour mark with a clinical finish from an acute angle. The shot smashed off the post before nestling into the opposite side netting. However, the linesman flagged for an infringement and replays confirmed the forward was offside.
With Liverpool camped inside their own box in the latter stages, the game no longer suited Marmoush’s qualities. He was one of the players to be taken off by Guardiola.
Substitutes
James McAtee – 5
The vibrant midfielder came on to replace the tiring De Bruyne. However, his enthusiasm wasn’t enough to help his side find a foothold back into the game.
Ruben Dias – N/A
Dias was brought on as part of a triple change by Guardiola. The defender replaced the weary Ake, who has battled with injury problems this term.
Ilkay Gundogan – N/A
The experienced German couldn’t make a difference in his brief cameo. The red shirts of Liverpool had eliminated any space for Gundogan to thrive in.
Mateo Kovacic – N/A
Kovacic also entered the pitch for the last quarter of an hour. Recycled possession well but to no real effect.
