What we learned from Liverpool vs Manchester City, as red card swings game in silky City's favor

Manchester City surged to a 3-0 win at Liverpool on Sunday , as the game swung in their favor in a key 16-minute spell in the second half. Andoni Iraola's Liverpool were hit hard by injuries before the game but hung in there well, and then Ryan Gravenberch's harsh red card saw City smell blood in the water. City pounced and scored thrice in 13 minutes, as Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored sublime goals. Here's what we learned from City's victory at Liverpool, as Enzo Maresca's side have now won six from six to start the season and sit top of the table. Harsh Gravenberch red card sees Liverpool crumble, City pounce After being booked early in the second half for a foul on Elliot Anderson, Ryan Gravenberch knew he was walking a tightrope given the way he plays the game. And this was more about him being pushed off the tightrope than falling off it himself. Gravenberch arrived after Doku was fouled and clipped the Belgian winger who was expecting the contact. He was surging towards the halfway line but there were plenty of Liverpool players back defending. It wasn't a clear goalscoring opportunity. It wasn't a clear breakaway. Gravenberch should not have been shown a second yellow card. Simple as that. But then Liverpool lost their heads for a few minutes and soon they were 2-0 down. City smelt blood in the water and pounced impressively but Gravenberch was harshly treated to be shown a second yellow card for his challenge. In a feisty game there were plenty of other tackles way worse than this which went unpunished. City’s players prove they will keep their focus Yes, the red card helped City massively, but they would probably have still won this. They oozed class on the ball the longer the game went on and Erling Haaland and Iliman Ndiaye should have scored before Haaland did get City's opener. After one of the most testing periods off the pitch a player can have in recent weeks given all of the speculation about City's future after their guilty verdict from an independent commission, and their subsequent appeal , City's players deserve plenty of credit for keeping their focus on the play on the pitch. They will have to do plenty more of that in the coming weeks and months as everything is sorted out off the pitch, but the way Enzo Maresca and his staff celebrated at the final whistle, and the way City's fans went wild while waving inflatable bananas in the away end, shows you they have already created a siege mentality. Liverpool’s squad depth a serious problem as creative talents struggle Having Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai unavailable was a big blow and Liverpool did really well to hang in there for as long as they did. Lewis Koumas, 21, made his first start in the Premier League up front and he was Liverpool's only option in that area with Hugo Ekitike still out injured. Andoni Iraola suffered his first defeat as Liverpool boss and it underlined where they are at. Most people have them down as top four contenders, not title contenders, this season. But even that might be too lofty. Liverpool's squad isn't deep enough and the likes of Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, incredibly expensive and talented signings in attack, have got to show more. Right now it's clear that Liverpool's squad just isn't deep enough to play the high-pressing tactics Iraola wants. For Iraola's debut season in charge at Anfield a deep run in the Champions League and a top six finish would be the best case scenario.