Manchester City make an ominous statement on Pep Guardiola’s historic day as Liverpool struggle

Doku is a transformative symbol of this new city.

The 23-year-old has gone from being an undoubtedly talented, but sometimes maddeningly inconsistent, winger to the brilliant catalyst behind many of the team’s best moments this season.

Conor Bradley, who excelled in Liverpool’s win over Real Madrid in the Champions League, has given a terrible time. Bradley was nervous because of Doku’s speed and physical presence – although it is certain that no one can handle the Belgian at this level.

Doku was simply unstoppable, a player now in the prime of his game having finally become accustomed to Guardiola’s high demands following his £55.4m move from Rennes in August 2023.

Ryan Chergui adds finesse in midfield, while Phil Foden is back to his best and Bernardo Silva still has all the old guile to keep City going by prodding him.

It was a resounding win in every way, giving Arsenal and their manager Mikel Arteta – a former Guardiola assistant – a huge helping hand to think about during the international break.

For Liverpool, this was a return to earth with a resounding thud after their recent improvement.

The team now ranks eighth, eight points behind Arsenal and four points behind City, but the momentum has stalled. Liverpool’s tally of five defeats this season now surpasses the four they suffered when they won the title.

And there remain worrying signs that Liverpool have yet to adapt to a summer influx worth around £450m of new talent.

Hugo Ekiteke, one of the successes, was poor here while fellow £125m striker Alexander Isak was an unused substitute after three weeks out with a thigh injury.

It was another day of agony and disappointment for £116m playmaker Florian Wirtz, whose agony was compounded by jeers from Manchester City fans, as he recalled how he rejected a move to the Etihad Stadium in order to join Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen.

It is clear that Wirtz, at this stage, is struggling physically in the Premier League. The talent is clearly there, but too often he is easily overlooked in possession.

It’s something he has to get used to and act against. The inevitable barracks came Wirtz’s way with chants of “what a waste of money” from the delighted home fans when he was substituted by Federico Chiesa seven minutes from time.

Meanwhile, Guardiola enjoyed the win but is looking forward to the matches that follow the international break.

“Now rest and come back with energy,” he said before thinking about the path that brought him to this stage of his wonderful training life.

“I think my time at Barcelona B was the foundation for a lot of things. To realize that I was able to do that and learn a lot.

“I will never forget the players in that first season. For me, it was very special to play in 1,000 games in front of my family and especially against Liverpool. I have great respect for this club.”

This was Guardiola’s day of celebration. And Manchester City made it an occasion to remember.