Liverpool was probably feeling a bit desperate heading into the match against Manchester City. Lots of people were watching City, though, to see how the players would respond to the embattled club's recent guilty verdict. How motivated would Erling Haaland and others be?
The truth is that the players were likely only ever going to be focused on football. What happened with any rule-breaking was out of their control, just as it always has been. The match was what mattered.
A lot of the season is left after the Liverpool match. The players can only take each match as it comes. What the future holds can be worried about later. For now, City fans can celebrate a 3-0 victory against Liverpool.
Winners and losers for Manchester City against Liverpool
Winner: Antoine Semenyo
In the somewhat disjointed first half, it was only Semenyo and Elliot Anderson who were constantly looking to attack. Twice, Semenyo put a pass right in front of Liverpool's goal, but no teammate was around to easily kick the ball into the net. Had the rest of the XI been on the same page as Semenyo, City might have had a two-goal lead.
Loser: Ayyoub Bouaddi
Bouaddi entered the match in the 80th minute and did very few things well, even while his team was playing at an elite level. He received a yellow card in the 86th minute for a poor tackle that gave Liverpool a free kick directly in front of goal. The foul didn't result in a Liverpool goal, but it was a risk that should not have been taken.
Winner: Jeremy Doku
Doku has had a difficult season so far, all because of an injury, and he didn't start against Liverpool. When he entered the match in the 56th minute, though, things changed. Sure, part of that was because Liverpool went down to 10 men, but Doku's speed and precision were too much for City's opponent, and he scored in the 68th minute. Having a healthy Doku is a gift.
Winner: Rayan Cherki
Liverpool players might have nightmares about Cherki, who was seemingly everywhere at any point, weaving around the pitch with ease. He scored in the 78th minute, and he deserved it.
The reason Manchester City has had so much success over the past decade isn't that the club broke the rules, but what happens on the pitch by players like Cherki. That is an uncomfortable truth for the Premier League.
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