Man City rout Liverpool as Guardiola celebrates 1,000th match; Forest boost survival hopes

MANCHESTER: Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management with a commanding 3-0 victory over Liverpool, reigniting their Premier League title charge, while Nottingham Forest earned a vital 3-1 win over Leeds to strengthen their survival hopes on Sunday.

Erling Haaland recovered from an early penalty miss to head City in front after a sweeping 20-pass move. Nico Gonzalez doubled the lead before the interval, and Jeremy Doku—outstanding throughout—curled in a superb third in the second half.

Guardiola, now boasting 716 wins across a 17-year career with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, saw his side climb to within four points of leaders Arsenal, who dropped points in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

The defeat deepened Liverpool’s struggles, with the defending champions losing seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions. Virgil van Dijk’s first-half equaliser was chalked off by VAR for offside in a contentious call that left manager Arne Slot furious. Gonzalez’s deflected strike and Doku’s long-range effort sealed Liverpool’s fate.

Forest boost survival bid

At the City Ground, Forest came from behind after Lukas Nmecha’s early opener. Ibrahim Sangare hit back immediately, before Morgan Gibbs-White’s 68th-minute header and Elliot Anderson’s stoppage-time penalty secured their first league win since August.

🚨🗣️ Gary Neville on Liverpool: "Liverpool fans will be worried. It's the worst I've seen them for a long, long time." pic.twitter.com/VTTp12brNk

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) November 9, 2025

The result marked Forest’s first Premier League victory under Sean Dyche, ending a nine-match winless run and bringing them within a point of safety following managerial upheaval that saw Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou depart earlier in the season.

Elsewhere in the Premier League

Aston Villa 4–0 Bournemouth

Emiliano Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen all scored, while Emiliano Martinez saved an Antoine Semenyo penalty as Villa made it five wins from six.

Brentford 3–1 Newcastle

Harvey Barnes put Newcastle ahead, but Kevin Schade equalised before Dan Burn’s red card. Igor Thiago’s penalty and stoppage-time strike condemned the Magpies to a ninth straight away league game without a win.

Crystal Palace 0–0 Brighton

A goalless draw at Selhurst Park kept both sides firmly in mid-table.