Iraola says Gravenberch red card changed Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City

Andoni Iraola said Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal changed the course of Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City, but praised his players for their performance at Anfield.

The Premier League result left Manchester City top of the table with 18 points from six wins, while Liverpool remain ninth on nine points.

“I think the match was split into two different parts: the first before the red card and the second afterwards,” Iraola told the BBC.

“For 60 minutes, the players performed very well, but after the dismissal Manchester City were better than us.”

Gravenberch was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Iraola questioned the decision to issue the first, saying it followed an incident involving the midfielder’s challenge on an opponent’s toe.

“The first yellow card was for a kick to the toe. There was nothing that deserved a booking; it was just a normal foul,” he said.

The Liverpool manager added that the red card came at a particularly damaging point in the game, with his side beginning to apply greater pressure.

“The red card came when we were pressing more and the momentum was starting to turn in our favour. The atmosphere in the stadium was also excellent,” Iraola said.

“You learn a lot from matches like this. I am extremely proud of my players because they worked very hard and gave everything today.”

Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored Manchester City’s goals.

The victory was Manchester City’s third consecutive win over Liverpool in the Premier League and their fourth in a row against them in all competitions.

Cherki has now contributed to six of his past seven matches for club and country, scoring four goals and providing two assists. Haaland has scored nine times in 12 appearances against Liverpool.

All of Manchester City’s players were involved in the build-up to Cherki’s goal.

Before kick-off, Liverpool supporters displayed a banner featuring former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and members of the club’s team. It carried the word “thieves” and referred to the 114 charges brought against Manchester City by the Premier League.

Iraola also said Liverpool could struggle to have their injured players back for their next Champions League match against LASK.

“It will be difficult for the injured players to return for the next match against LASK because we only have two days, but you never know what can happen,” he said.

Lewis Koumas became the first Liverpool player since Rhys Williams against Tottenham in December 2020 to make his first Premier League start for the club against the team top of the table before kick-off.