Pep Guardiola marked a historic milestone in his managerial career by taking charge of his 1,000th professional match, and he did so in spectacular fashion as Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The dominant victory trimmed Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to just four points, further tightening the title race.
From kickoff, Manchester City controlled the tempo of the match, disrupting Liverpool’s recent resurgence. The early breakthrough almost came when Giorgi Mamardashvili fouled Jeremy Doku in the box, earning City a penalty. Though Erling Haaland missed the spot-kick, he quickly redeemed himself. Moments later, he rose above the Liverpool defence to power a header into the net from a superb Matheus Nunes cross — his 28th goal of what has been another prolific season.
Liverpool believed they had pulled one back when Virgil van Dijk found the net with a close-range header, but their celebrations were short-lived. VAR ruled the play offside, maintaining City’s lead and momentum.
As halftime approached, City made their dominance count once again. Nico Gonzalez unleashed a 20-yard strike that took a deflection off Van Dijk, leaving Mamardashvili wrong-footed and doubling the hosts’ advantage.
Doku the difference
Belgian winger Jeremy Doku proved unplayable throughout the encounter, consistently stretching Liverpool’s defence with his pace, precision, and confidence on the ball. His standout moment came in the second half when he curled a sensational strike from 20 yards into the far corner, sealing City’s 3-0 win and delivering one of the goals of the season.
Haaland provided strong hold-up play and intelligent movement, linking brilliantly with Doku, Phil Foden, and Bernardo Silva. Meanwhile, Gianluigi Donnarumma delivered a composed performance between the posts, producing a crucial late save to deny Dominik Szoboszlai.
The emphatic victory not only highlighted the quality and depth of Guardiola’s squad but also provided a fitting tribute to his landmark 1,000th managerial game — an evening that reinforced his legacy as one of football’s greatest tacticians.