Keane accuses Liverpool of self-pity after Gravenberch red card opens door for City

Roy Keane accused Liverpool of wallowing in self-pity following Ryan Gravenberch’s red card, as Manchester City scored three times in 13 minutes to overturn a stalemate at Anfield on Sunday. The Dutch midfielder was sent off for two yellow cards just after the hour-mark, and City capitalised ruthlessly to end Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season.

Keane was unsparing in his assessment of how Liverpool responded to going down to ten men. “When you get a sending off, you start to feel sorry for yourself,” he said. “Some of the Liverpool players are looking on the outside looking back in — you’ve got to get back in and then have your breather. You’ve got to get back that extra five or 10 yards. They’re having a rest at the wrong time. From what you do at this level, you can’t have a breather.”

The introduction of Jeremy Doku proved decisive. It was Doku whom Gravenberch brought down for his second caution, and his subsequent cross was fired home by Erling Haaland to open the scoring. Doku then curled into the top corner for City’s second before Rayan Cherki completed the blitz with a sensational individual goal, cutting inside Jeremie Frimpong and sliding past Alisson.

Jamie Carragher was particularly critical of Frimpong’s defending for the third goal. “Absolute quality since he came into the squad — what a goal that is,” Carragher said of Cherki. “The less said about Frimpong the better; he is all over the place.”

Gary Neville offered a partial defence of the right-back, arguing that Cherki’s drag-back was exceptional. “I’ve been a right-back — that is doing me and many more,” Neville said. “The drag-back is absolutely sensational from Cherki.”

Liverpool had gone into the match without key attackers Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak, both sidelined by injuries sustained during the international break. Victor Munoz and Lewis Koumas deputised effectively, and Gravenberch had delivered what many considered his finest performance under Andoni Iraola before his dismissal — a first yellow card that drew widespread criticism for its harshness.

Neville also noted the broader shadow hanging over City’s result, acknowledging the difficulty of fully contextualising their performance while the club’s appeal against 114 alleged financial rule breaches remains unresolved.