Man City away Sunday 9th Nov 430pm

[Sus]

[Exiled_red]

Not excusing the performance obvs. But Van Dijk equalised. Not giving that was massive. That’s a goal every day of the week. A scandalous decision at a pivotal moment.

I thought City were the better side first half but they weren't great, and we were poor, go in 1-1 at HT and it's a different game.

Despite everything looking at the stats there wasn't much in it, possession was fairly even as were number of corners, touches in opposition box etc. XG was 1.6 to 0.71 but consider a pen is worth 0.79 from open play it's 0.81 to 0.71, as the VVD goal was ruled out that didn't count in that either so probably should have been closer still. Where they out performed us was in number of shots, they took more and got lucky with 2 goals, obviously the vastly out performed their XG. Game situation taken into account (being behind for so long) you would expect us to do better.

But as well as being poor which we undoubtedly were, we were really unlucky with 2 of the goals and the refereeing decisions. If we go in at HT 1-1 it's a different game, and go knows what happens.

[DerKrampus]

Ruling out the goal was stupid, Donnaruma had eyes on it all the way and didn't change his dive based on Robertson's presence.

Why the **** can't VAR or anyone look at behaviours like this?

[Harv]

Yes, I'm increasingly of the same opinion. In the commentary they're talking about our players looking tired - even before half time. That just can't be so - are they all suffering from long covid?

Like I said the other week.

They are all playing like they haven't had a proper preseason. They look leggy, there's little movement all over the pitch, our passing is erratic, crossing poor, shooting poor, making dumb decisions, defensive brain fades etc etc.

Id say our preseason was really thrown into turmoil with Jota and the first few weeks of that were spent dealing with it mentally rather than getting fit and firing for the season (especially since they put the cue in the rack and started partying early and would've needed a huge preseason to get back up to speed)


BUT


Slot needs to know this and set up the team to compete, which he isn't. We're playing the same ****ing way over and over again and hoping things just magically change.

Im done with Slot. I don't think he's a very good man manager at all and evidently he's not a good tactical manager either. So what's the point keeping him on. We've just got ourself a stubborn Dutchman who refuses to change his set up when its been found out.

[BG1973]

Think if you want to be the one to defend a lot of new players as you do.. finding mitigating reasons to do so, then looks a bit inconsistent to not give the manager the same courtesy. Especially where you give a great reason why the players look off it which is not on Slot.

We have to stick with him through this and give him the chance to show he knows what to do. If it"s still a car crash in March then natural selection will take its course.

[Exiled_red]

I fear that the whole Salah not having to work back thing sets a dangerous precedent. If you look around a team and see everyone working their ass off it encourages you to do the same, if you see one guy slacking you aren't going to be as motivated. Maybe some of the players who have been around a while feel that Salah as earned the right for what he has done for them/us in the past, but the newer guys won't have that, they will see him as a senior player not pulling his weight and in my view that won't go well. Be interesting to know how Slot sells this idea to the rest of the squad, to me it feels a bit like telling one of your kids they are special and don't have to tidy up or something and that won't end well.

[DerKrampus]

Im done with Slot. I don't think he's a very good man manager at all and evidently he's not a good tactical manager either. So what's the point keeping him on. We've just got ourself a stubborn Dutchman who refuses to change his set up when its been found out.

Yet we can pull out performances like we did against Real Madrid. It's infuriatingly inconsistent.

I wouldn't mind if we did the same but City were just better on the day, but it's clear that we're playing like a Championship level team that gets the odd win here and there. If we're still within 5 points at Christmas then Slot stays but if we're midtable then I think his race is run and Klopp comes back wearing a Santa hat.

[kingfunk]

Dermot Gallagher (pundit referee) on Virgil’s goal “I don't think there are hard and fast rules” no ****ing **** you numpty, sums up refs in this country… ******s.

[Buzzo]

Good analysis from Carra on how we lost the first goal.

Virgil doesn’t get much heat from the support, but he’s had for the first time a sub par start to the season. I also thought his attempt to block on the second goal was half hearted. He plays every game. And it’s starting to show he too cannot play at the required level 3 times a week.

[ame="https://youtu.be/TZJGIoGs4UE"]Jamie Carragher's FULL analysis of Man City 3-0 Liverpool | EXTRA TIME - YouTube[/ame]

[baitman]

Konate is quite rightly getting grief from many pundits.
Virge getting frustrated with his "bro" not doing his share...

But also see some half arsed effort from the great and might virge himself...

[Cerbie]

Konate is quite rightly getting grief from many pundits.
Virge getting frustrated with his "bro" not doing his share...

But also see some half arsed effort from the great and might virge himself...

tbf Virg has had a distracted Konate or a half-fit Gomez to his right and a lost Kerkez or an out-of-form Robbo to his left. It is bound to have affected his game. Add to that Alisson has been injured for over a month, and Giogi has been finding his feet - understandably, he has made a few mistakes.

[Yozza]

Wow...

https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2025/11/manchester-city-3-liverpool-0-match-review/

Manchester City 3 Liverpool 0: Match Review

Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Manchester City 3 Liverpool 0 in the 2025-2026 Premier League at the Etihad…

WE’VE LOST FOUR consecutive away league games.

We’ve lost four consecutive away league first-halves.

These facts are not unrelated. And:

We’ve deserved to.

Liverpool have rocked up to opposition grounds with no rock. “Rock” suggests swagger. “Rock” suggests purpose. “Rock” suggests “have you smelled what the Reds are cooking?”

Porridge.

In fact, not porridge. Porridge can warm the cockles on a hard day. Can offer grist. Can stiffen sinews. Instead Liverpool don’t just lack a Ready Brek glow, they are a beige buffet on a feast day. They are spineless and colourless and passionless.

They are second to everything. They don’t enjoy spells of possession but endure them. They make a virtue out of losing the ball in the opposition half because the only alternative is losing it in their own. They are a comic who doesn’t believe in a punchline, a fisherman who doesn’t believe in bait. They are vulnerable to everything. Opponents can do no wrong because Liverpool will do no right.

And this. This, here. This is the crux of the problem. Until this changes, nothing will change.

Today these things are true:

Liverpool have bad luck.
Liverpool have to deal with dreadful officiating.

But:

Liverpool deserve to go in 2 down.
They deserved to go in 2 down against Crystal Palace and Brentford, alongside today. The only reason they didn’t deserve to go in 2 down against Chelsea was Chelsea’s shortcomings.

Until that improves, all of Liverpool’s ambitions will not improve in their plausibility.

Today is a missed opportunity. Not even to win but to play well. This weekend there have been no away wins in the Premier League. Away games are hard, especially early in the season. But today Liverpool had the chance to look like the side that vanquished Aston Villa and Real Madrid. Instead they made vanquishing look utterly beyond their ken. Roll up, roll up – The Champions are in town. See 11 elite athletes look second-best, over and over.

Second-halves have been different. Today is no exception. Second-halves Liverpool have looked more about things. But in none of these defeats should the first-halves have come as a surprise. Perhaps occasionally as a less likely thing but that isn’t how surprise works. Surprise is the unlikely. The unusual. There has been no unusual.

Today Conor Bradley is possibly Liverpool’s best performer and it is, in a way, a shame Liverpool’s best performer is up against the game’s defining performer. It is okay in a sporting contest for one player to play well and another to play brilliantly and this is exactly what we end up seeing. Jeremy Doku continues his excellent season but Bradley can go to bed feeling okay about things.

He is perhaps alone in that. Ibou Konate does your head in and shows why week in, week out this is currently a massive ask for him. He is a brilliant stopper. But that is what he is. A stopper. And when your stopper fails to stop, as is the case for the first and the third goal, then you wonder why we settle with that raw stopper. Absolutely unfairly, I hasten to add. But today nothing feels fair.

Andy Robertson and Florian Wirtz do little wrong but not enough right. The latter elicits two yellow cards from Manchester City players but rarely manages to be wrong-side again.

Hugo Ekitike cannot influence the game. Outside of his goal Erling Haaland can. Haaland’s development should be shown to Ekitike. One looked like a Liverpool player. And it wasn’t the man in red.

Mo Salah doesn’t influence matters enough. He isn’t alone but he is the main man. Did he feel like that today? This can be seen as harsh. He was the main man. He was the main reason for the twentieth league. He is the greatest player you have ever seen. But we’re (rightly) watching and loving him for now and today wasn’t enough.

But he just isn’t alone and the shock is this from last Saturday and Tuesday. Yes, it’s an away game. At a difficult ground. It’s a game you can lose playing well. But it isn’t a game you can win without playing well. So let’s start there and sort the rest out.

Nothing is genuinely broken, not even yet. But after the international break Liverpool go to West Ham, Leeds and Tottenham. And they will need to win all three. I don’t want sob stories and I don’t want to hear about how these games are hard. Yes. Yes they are. That’s why you spend the first 45 deadly serious and give nothing away.

For the last possible time this season to get over it and beyond it:

**** off Liverpool.

You’re loved to pieces. But the football matches have to stop looking like they are a surprise. This isn’t Ready Steady Cook. This is meant to be Masterchef. Into these Liverpool. Everywhere. Setbacks will happen. Sometimes the kitchen will be on fire. It’s always what you do next that counts.

[Buzzo]

This is just a masterclass in explaining all that’s wrong with VAR. Webbs arguements don’t stack up at all. Particularly the comparison over the 2 goals at the end.

[ame]https://twitter.com/indykaila/status/1988327717469909355[/ame]

[Kenneth]

They haven't a clue what they're doing. The ref was very clear why he thought it was offside; line of sight. Webb has tried to put all sorts of explanation in his mouth that he made no comment on in the comms. Then he's just yapping away saying **** all and repeating it. It's Webb in full bull****ty PR mode.

[Exiled_red]

They are all full of ****, Webb just goes out there to defend his mates, his arguments don't make sense it's a load of BS