**Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City was a strange occasion for all involved, with Reds legend Jamie Carragher bemoaning one thing he witnessed.**
Andoni Iraola suffered his first defeat in charge of Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, with the Spaniard [assessing a disappointing afternoon](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/andoni-iraola-press-conference-liverpool-man-city-premier-league) at Anfield:
_“I think the analysis is quite clear. I think we played two different games – one until the red card and one from the red card until the end. I think we were the better team until the red card in the first 62 minutes. And they were better than us, obviously, after the red card and they scored the goals._
_“But I think the players deserve credit today because I think they’ve given everything. I think also the supporters have been fantastic today – fantastic before, during, after. I think the atmosphere and the feeling we had until that moment… also it was, I think, our best moment probably when we were having the chances and are positive. Obviously when you lose 3-0 it’s not a lot, but I think it was important.”_
The game completely turned when Ryan Gravenberch was sent off in the second half, following two extremely soft bookings from referee Chris Kavanagh.
Speaking on [_Sky Sports_](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13597935/liverpool-0-3-man-city-ryan-gravenberchs-sending-off-in-premier-league-defeat-criticised-by-jamie-carragher) after the game, Carragher described the decision as “shocking”, with Liverpool never recovering from that moment onwards:
_“It’s such a poor decision by the referee. The thing that frustrates me is that he wasn’t going to give a yellow card. He only gives it when he thinks Anderson is hurt. That has nothing to do with whether a foul should or should not be a yellow card. It’s barely a foul. It’s a shocking decision._
_“It feels really harsh when you think of the two challenges,” Carragher said of Gravenberch’s sending off on co-commentary. The first one was not a yellow card. It was so harsh for a nothing challenge on Anderson, and the referee was far too quick to get the yellow card out.”_
**A disheartening day all round at Anfield**
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After what felt like the longest international break of all time, the hope was that Liverpool would come roaring back into action in a huge game against City.
In the end, though, it proved to be a hollow afternoon, with City’s guilty charges hanging over the whole occasion, and making for an extremely strange day.
Gravenberch’s red card was such a poor decision by Kavanagh, at a time when an injury-plagued Liverpool side were playing well, and once Erling Haaland opened the scoring, the writing was on the wall.
It was a disheartening afternoon, with the result leaving you wondering what the point is in this season even happening, with City going into every game with the charges front and centre.
Perhaps we Liverpool fans allowed bravado to get the better of us in the lead-up to the game, as we dreamed of beating City in thrilling circumstances, but in hindsight, it was always going to be an odd day at the office for Iraola and his players.