Slot: We Knew Liverpool’s Level Before the City Clash
9 November 2025
Match overview
The Dutch coach Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, said his side could have been in a better position if they had left the first half only one goal behind against Manchester City.
Manchester City cruised to a 3-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad on Sunday, in the 11th round of the Premier League.
City's goals came from Erling Haaland in the 29th minute, Nicolas Gonzalez in first-half stoppage time, and Jeremie Doku in the 63rd.
Haaland's penalty in the 13th minute was saved by Liverpool's goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
With the win, City moved to 22 points, four clear of Arsenal, while Liverpool stayed eighth on 18.
Key moments and reactions
Slot told Sky Sports after the match that the first half was very hard, with City pressing with intensity. He said they hoped to go in at the break closer to level, but instead found themselves behind by two goals.
Slot added that Liverpool were clearly second best in the opening period, though there were moments to build on in the second half.
On the disallowed Virgil van Dijk goal, Slot felt the decision looked incorrect, and noted the assistant referee took 13 seconds to raise his flag—there was clear communication, but the outcome could have altered the game.
He highlighted how set pieces had a decisive impact, with two goals conceded from dead-ball situations, and reflected on the difficulty of breaking City’s press in the first half.
Van Dijk himself commented that refereeing decisions are final and that the focus should stay on Liverpool's performance, while acknowledging City’s quality on the day.
Stats from the match, per Squawka, underscored Haaland's ongoing productivity, the persistent City threat from wide and deep positions, and Liverpool’s challenges recovering the ball early in the game.
In closing, Slot emphasized that the club must improve to close gaps in the title race, while Van Dijk stressed focusing on their own process rather than dwelling on the result.
Punchline 1: If football were a sniper, City would be hitting the target with three bullets while Liverpool kept misplacing the sights.
Punchline 2: Slot says we knew our level—guess City brought the level-up cheat code, and Liverpool forgot to DLC it in time.
