Gravenberch receives a red card, he remains praised by English media

Ryan Gravenberch received a red card in Liverpool's Premier League defeat to Manchester City at Anfield, after he had already been shown a yellow card shortly after the break for a foul on Elliot Anderson; nevertheless English media praised him as one of the club's best players.

Red card and match progression

Gravenberch received his first yellow card shortly after the break for a minor foul on Elliot Anderson. After 62 minutes he received a second yellow card when he cut off a counter‑attack from Jérémy Doku, resulting in his dismissal. The red card changed the dynamics and gave Manchester City the upper hand.

With ten men, Manchester City quickly pulled away and scored through Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki, causing the match to end in a 0‑3 victory for the visitors. The win allowed City to reclaim the top of the Premier League.

English press gives high scores

The BBC gave Gravenberch a rating of six and wrote: ‘Came onto the pitch for the injured Dominik Szoboszlai and was Liverpool’s best player until he was sent off after a second yellow card. A naïve action on his part.’ The six‑point score was seen as reasonable given the circumstances.

Liverpool Echo even rated the Dutch international with a seven and praised his two characteristic rushes in the first quarter, in which he seemed sharper than earlier this season. The newspaper highlighted his impact before he was dismissed.

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held it at a six and argued that the red card ‘extremely unlucky’, and added: ‘Gravenberch was running the Liverpool show, standing out with his rushes and passes from midfield; after his dismissal the match could only go in one direction.’ The sports channel encouraged him to keep developing.

Reactions from Van Dijk and other players

Virgil van Dijk also escaped a failing grade; both the BBC and Liverpool Echo gave him a six. After the defeat Van Dijk said: ‘First half was good, second half the red card changed the match, we ended with ten men and gave away goals quickly.’ The Red Card changed the match and made it harder for Liverpool.

Liverpool started the match without Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak, all of whom were injured, and Hugo Ekitike was also missing. Victor Munoz, a €34 m bargain from Osasuna, received praise for his effort, while the expensive signings Florian Wirtz (£116 m) and Bradley Barcola (£123 m) had not yet scored a goal.

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noted that Gravenberch had long stood out with his ‘powerful rushes’, but argued that he was wrong in the duel with Doku, who was about to launch a counter‑attack.

Andoni Iraola, who suffered his first defeat as Liverpool manager, admitted that the absence of Szoboszlai, Gakpo and Isak severely weakened the team and that the injury problems further complicated the match.