Manchester City claimed a crucial 3-0 win over Premier League rivals Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
With Arsenal dropping points against Sunderland, both Man City and Liverpool had the chance to close the gap at the top, and Pep Guardiola’s side took full advantage. Despite Erling Haaland missing a controversial penalty—thanks to a stunning save from Giorgi Mamardashvili—City dominated the first half and scored twice. Haaland opened the scoring with a precise glancing header, and Nico Gonzalez doubled the lead with a thunderous strike just before halftime.
Liverpool tried to fight back, but that left them exposed at the back. Jeremy Doku capitalized, curling a brilliant effort into the top corner to make it 3-0.
Football Insider highlighted three questionable decisions from referee Chris Kavanagh during the match.
Doku continued his sensational form by causing havoc down Liverpool’s left flank. In one incident, he went down in the box after minimal contact from Mamardashvili. Kavanagh initially waved away the penalty claim but reversed his decision following a VAR review, awarding a spot kick—an incorrect call, as the contact was insufficient.
Another contentious moment came when Virgil van Dijk’s header was disallowed. He powered Mohamed Salah’s corner past Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the goal was ruled out due to Andy Robertson supposedly interfering with the goalkeeper. Many argue that Donnarumma had no chance of reaching the ball, so the decision was questionable.
Later, Florian Wirtz was stopped on a counterattack by Josko Gvardiol’s cynical challenge. Kavanagh, who handed out six yellow cards in the match, surprisingly opted not to caution Gvardiol.
Overall, Liverpool were outplayed and deservedly lost, but these key refereeing errors would have added to Arne Slot’s frustration.
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