Erling Haaland put in anonymous display as Man City lost 2-0 to Liverpool (Image: Getty)
Manchester City potentially saw their hopes of defending their Premier League title go up in smoke after a damaging 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The match was billed as a title showdown but the visitors, without their key man Rodri, easily finished second as they were opened up at will by Arne Slot's side.
Cody Gakpo scored early on from a Mohamed Salah cross before the Egyptian star headed home from the penalty spot to seal the points, condemning City to a sixth consecutive defeat under Pep Guardiola.
Express Sport analyzes the performance of Guardiola's men with full Man City player ratings.
Stefan Ortega 5
The pressure was put on him to perform after Ederson was dropped and the German was forced to retire early. He couldn't do anything about the goal, but made a crucial save to deny Gakpo a second. Then he awarded a penalty to undo his good work.
Kyle Walker4
It looked like a statue for Liverpool's first goal and I had no idea where Gakpo was. The brutal pace of its decline is alarming and has done nothing today to refute it.
Rubén Dias 4
A captain must show leadership in difficult moments, but the back four looked fragile and Dias was no different. Showed some fight after the break.
Akanji 5 Manual
He failed to stop Salah for the cross that led to the opener and didn't really recover from there. He looked laborious in everything he did. Reserve.
Kyle Walker was far from his best for Man City (Image: Getty)
Nathan Ake 6
The Dutchman deserved a call-up ahead of Josko Gvardiol and he showed a pair of clean heels against the speedy Salah. The only defender to have given some praise.
Rico Lewis 6
Energetic as always in central areas, Lewis found things difficult against Liverpool's three-man midfield. I made a good attempt in the first half.
Ilkay Gundogan 5
In possession, it offers creativity. Away, the German moved in a lazy, jaded manner. Another player whose best days are behind him. Addicted before his time.
Bernardo Silva 5
We rarely see Portuguese people so sober and lacking in determination. I didn't seem comfortable playing any deeper than usual in the role of Rodri.
Matheus Nunes got no change from Trent Alexander-Arnold (Image: Getty)
Phil Foden5
He received a strong blow at the beginning, which caused him to fall. I tried to take the ball back in the No.10 role but the Englishman clearly lacked confidence. Reserve.
Erling Haaland 4
Anonymous in the first half, sloppy ball control and zero shots. That's 11 words – one for each touch from the Norwegian in a terrible first-half performance. He clearly had some fiery words at the break as he started making runs and chasing half-chances, but still not good enough in a game of this magnitude.
Mathéus Nunes 4
Although he has performed well on the left in recent matches, the Portuguese has failed to create anything notable. Why were Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku left on the bench from the start? Left early.
Erling Haaland had just 11 touches in the first half (Image: Getty)
Substitutes
Jérémie Doku (at 57') 6
The Belgian looked menacing in wide areas, as he always does.
Savinho (at 57') 6
He looked sharp but couldn't find a blue shirt often enough.
Kevin de Bruyne (at 78') N/A
Jack Grealish (on 78') N/A
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1983203/Man-City-player-ratings-Liverpool