Premier League Manchester City v Liverpool Jeremy Doku of Manchester City embraces with Pep Guardiola Manchester City manager as he is substituted during the Premier League match Manchester City vs Liverpool at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom, 9th November 2025 Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images Manchester Etihad Stadium Manchester United, ManU Kingdom Copyright: xMarkxCosgrove/NewsxImagesx

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Pep Guardiola Thanks Jeremy Doku and Manchester City for ‘Incredible Present’ in Triumph Over Liverpool

Pep Guardiola thanked Jeremy Doku and his Manchester City players for delivering an “incredible present” on his 1,000th match as a manager. City produced a dominant display to beat champions Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium and as a result, moved within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola was managing his 550th game for City and the the Catalan coach watched his side dismantle their rivals with composure and flair. City were led by Belgian attacker Doku’s electrifying performance on the wing. Despite Erling Haaland’s early penalty miss, the Norwegian opened the scoring minutes later with a precise header from Matheus Nunes’ cross.

Liverpool briefly thought they had found a lifeline before halftime when Virgil van Dijk powered in a header from Mohamed Salah’s corner. However, their celebrations were short-lived as the goal was ruled out after Andy Robertson was deemed offside for obstructing Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view. Moments later, City punished that reprieve in ruthless fashion. Nico Gonzalez’s 20-yard strike deflected off Van Dijk, wrong-footing Giorgi Mamardashvili and it doubled the hosts’ advantage just before the break.

WHAT. A. WIN.

🩵 3-0 🔴 @okx pic.twitter.com/sSOaKZoRgn
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 9, 2025

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Thank You for Giving Me an Incredible Present: Guardiola

The second half brought more misery for Liverpool as Jeremy Doku continued to torment their backline with his trickery. The Belgian winger then delivered the goal his performance deserved, cutting inside and curling a stunning right-footed strike from 20 yards into the corner to seal a comprehensive 3-0 victory for Manchester City.

Doku’s relentless pace and creativity left Liverpool’s defense struggling, earning high praise from Guardiola, who hailed the Belgian as “outstanding”. Guardiola said, “I think Doku will never be a top scorer, to be honest, but he’s demanding himself to be better, he listens, and has special attributes of dribbling. He was aggressive with and without the ball. We tried to help him and he played an outstanding game.”

A performance to remember ✨

Your @EASPORTSFC Man of the Match is @JeremyDoku 👏🩵 pic.twitter.com/MUzoevNiLH
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 9, 2025

Also Read: Benjamin Sesko Injury Update: What Happened to the Manchester United Star Striker?

After the match, Guardiola was full of gratitude for his team’s overall performance on a milestone night. The former Barcelona manager said,

“Thank you to the players and staff for giving me an incredible present against the most important opponent we faced in my time here. It has been a special night with my kids here.”

Pep reacts to his 1000th game in management 💬🩵 pic.twitter.com/yVuDq4O5Yw
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 9, 2025

Jeremy Doku

Liverpool

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola

Premier League

Premier League 2025-26

Abhinav Goel

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I am a soccer writer at The PlayOffs, covering everything from match analysis to transfer buzz and tactical deep dives. Ever since I was a kid, soccer has been more than just a sport to me—it’s been an obsession. Playing and watching the game from a young age fueled my passion, eventually leading me into the world of sports media and betting. Now, I get to analyze the sport I love and bring the latest updates to fans worldwide.