Guardiola Reveals Which Liverpool Star Shone Despite Man City's Crushing Victory

Even though Jérémy Doku caused havoc along the left flank, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola highlighted Conor Bradley among the Liverpool stars who left him "genuinely impressed" during Sunday's encounter.

The Citizens handed the reigning champions their fourth consecutive Premier League away loss at the Etihad, with Erling Haaland, Nico González and Doku all scoring in a commanding 3–0 victory.

This triumph lifted City to second place, now trailing table-toppers Arsenal by four points, while Liverpool find themselves in eighth position, eight points off the pace.

The manner of Guardiola's team's performance has convinced many that City, the former dominant force, will mount a serious title challenge alongside the Gunners this campaign. Though they've leaned heavily on Haaland for goals thus far, Doku has also made an exceptional start to the 2025–26 season, with his mesmerizing skills central to Sunday's triumph.

He faced off against Liverpool's right-back Conor Bradley after the Northern Ireland international had successfully neutralized Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during the midweek fixture. On this occasion, however, Doku dominated his battle with Bradley, despite the defender showing moments of resilience.

The young Liverpool fullback has earned praise from Guardiola, who stated after the match (via the Liverpool Echo): "Conor [Bradley], the right back, I was really, really impressed with, Pep Lijnders said he could do everything."

Lijnders served as Jürgen Klopp's right-hand man throughout much of the German manager's tenure at Anfield, with both coaches witnessing Bradley's emergence into the first team during the 2023–24 season.

"I witnessed his performance against [Real] Madrid and how exceptional he was versus Vinicius. Jeremy managed the situation well, showing intensity both in possession and defensively. He delivered a remarkable performance," the City manager continued.

Bradley has struggled with fitness concerns early in the current campaign, with none of Slot's right-back options establishing themselves as the clear starter following Trent Alexander-Arnold's exit. Jeremie Frimpong has also suffered several injuries since his arrival, while Dominik Szoboszlai's deployment in that position was purely temporary.

Despite Sunday's challenging matchup against the exceptional Doku, Bradley, whose determination earned praise from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, has an opportunity to secure his starting role following the November international break.