Doku Delivers the Sensation: City’s Gentle Giant Steals the Spotlight vs Liverpool
11 November 2025
Match recap
In a standout performance, Belgian winger Jeremy Doku of Manchester City was named Player of the Week for Premier League matchweek 11 after City routed Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad, with Doku scoring one strike.
His display, including a superb goal and an involvement that led to a penalty Haaland failed to convert, sealed the win that lifted City to second with 22 points, four behind Arsenal.
After the game, Doku told Sky Sports: "Big games are always more risky; I’m happy with the team’s performance." He added that the displays boost his confidence and that he benefits from a great group around him. "Ruben Dias pushes me every day; his belief drives me to work harder," he said.
Dias added: "I’m very happy for him. We love matches like this; there’s no higher level. Everyone played brilliantly." He noted the need to encourage each other; Doku’s performance showed how much ground he covered against top-flight defenders.
Guardiola praised Doku as a natural talent: "He’s a pure talent. We try to give him momentum and good communication. He’s a natural dribbler." He also stressed that City faced one of the league’s best defenders and still delivered.
City’s win strengthens their position in the title race, with a confident display that underscored their title credentials.
Match statistics
City missed 4 of their last 5 penalties against Liverpool, according to Opta’s statistics.
Haaland became the first player in the Premier League to miss a penalty and still score in the same game since his miss against Sheffield United in August 2023.
Since the start of 2023-24, no goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues has saved as many penalties as Mamardashvili, six.
Haaland reached 14 goals in 11 league games this season, the second-highest tally for a player in the first 11 rounds in the competition’s history; the record belongs to Haaland himself with 17 in 2022-23.
City’s dominance extended to historical stats: Liverpool conceded twice in the first half for the first time since April 2022 in a league match against City.
Bernardo Silva reached 48 assists in the Premier League, surpassing Aguero (47), who remains City’s all-time top scorer. Silva now sits third on City’s PL assist list behind De Bruyne and David Silva.
According to Opta, Doku became the first player since Hazard in 2019 to win 10+ duels, complete 7 successful dribbles, create 3 chances, and have 3+ shots on target in a Premier League game.
Humor corner
Punchline 1: City’s plan is simple—give the ball to Doku and pretend it’s a math problem; the solution is always a goal.
Punchline 2: If football is life, Doku just upgraded City’s firmware to “beat Liverpool” mode. No warranty included.
