Manchester City Win 3-0 at Anfield and Chelsea Thrash Bournemouth 5-1 in Premier League Matchweek 6
Manchester City won 3-0 at Anfield to move three points clear at the top of the Premier League, while Chelsea produced the heaviest win of matchweek six in a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth.
City's win was built around a first-half sending off for Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who was dismissed for two bookable offences inside 15 minutes of the restart. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored in a 13-minute spell to settle it.
Liverpool Reduced to Ten and Overrun
Gravenberch was booked in the 47th minute and again in the 62nd, referee Chris Kavanagh showing the second yellow and sending him off with the game still level. Liverpool had held City to that point without creating a great deal themselves.
The response from the visitors was immediate. Haaland scored in the 65th minute, Doku added a second three minutes later and Cherki made it three in the 78th. City finished the game with 65 per cent of the possession to Liverpool's 35, a figure that reflected an afternoon in which the home side spent long periods chasing the ball.
The result leaves City three points clear at the summit and means Liverpool have lost at home in a fixture they had dominated in recent seasons.
Maresca Equals a Premier League Record
The win was Enzo Maresca's sixth in six games since taking charge at Manchester City following Pep Guardiola's resignation in June. That record equals the best start to a managerial reign in Premier League history, matching Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea in 2009/10 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United in 2018.
Maresca has managed it against a backdrop few of his predecessors have had to work with. During the international break at the end of September, Manchester City were found guilty on all 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations relating to the period between 2009 and 2018. The club's on-field form has not yet been affected by it.
Chelsea Score Five at the Vitality
Chelsea were ahead inside two minutes at Bournemouth through Henderson and had a second three minutes later when Silva turned the ball into his own net. That 2-0 lead held until half-time.
Pedro scored a minute after the restart to make it three, and although Evanilson pulled one back for Bournemouth in the 51st minute, Pedro added his second in the 67th and Henderson completed the scoring in the 70th. Five goals away from home represents Chelsea's most convincing performance of the season.
Glasner Returns to Selhurst Park and Loses
Crystal Palace beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Sunday in a fixture given its own storyline by Oliver Glasner's return to Selhurst Park as Forest manager. Palace, the club he left, scored three against him.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Hull City and Everton drew 2-2.
Saturday's Other Results
Arsenal beat Leeds 2-1 after going behind to Justin's goal in the 55th minute. Calafiori equalised in the 62nd and Bruno Guimaraes scored the winner eight minutes later.
Manchester United and Tottenham drew 1-1 in front of 74,129 at Old Trafford. Mbeumo put United ahead in the 73rd minute before Solanke equalised in the second minute of stoppage time.
Ipswich beat Fulham 2-1 with two late goals, Ouattara scoring in the 88th minute and O'Shea in the second minute of added time after Sessegnon had given Fulham the lead in the 55th. Brighton won 2-0 at Sunderland through De Cuyper and a Hadjam goal deep into stoppage time, and Aston Villa and Brentford drew 2-2.
