Manchester City star reacts to defensive masterclass against Liverpool legend | OneFootball

Nico O’Reilly was brimming with confidence after giving Mohamed Salah a difficult night in Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

City were on fire against a lacklustre Reds side as goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku sealed an emphatic win for the Blues against the reigning Premier League champions and reduced Arsenal’s gap at the top of the tree to four points.

Pep Guardiola’s men have entered the November international break in the backdrop of 11 wins in 14 games in all competitions as they look to build on their rich vein of form since September and keep up the pressure on Arsenal.

Liverpool did the double over Manchester City in the Premier League last term en route to the title but the Merseyside outfit were a shadow of their former selves on Sunday as City put them to the sword in arguably their best team performance in the Premier League in 12 months.

After squandering a golden opportunity to break the deadlock from 12 yards, Erling Haaland rose above Ibrahima Konaté and headed Manchester City into the lead after a peach of a cross from the in-form Matheus Nunes, who has made the right-back spot his own after a sensational run of displays in recent months.

Nico Gonzalez made it two to the hosts on the stroke of half-time with help from a Virgil van Dijk deflection and Jeremy Doku – who was by a country mile the best player on the pitch in what was his best performance in a Manchester City shirt – marked his first goal of the season with a stunning strike from distance after 63 minutes.

Liverpool offered next to no attacking threat bar a brief spell after half-time as Nico O’Reilly kept Mohamed Salah quiet all night and offered the Egypt international no room to cause havoc in a Manchester City backline whom he has enjoyed playing against since 2017.

O’Reilly, who penned a long-term Manchester City contract in September, has established himself as a very potent option for Guardiola at left-back as summer signing Rayan Ait-Nouri makes his way back towards full fitness after recovering from an injury he sustained against Tottenham in August.

Speaking with Manchester City’s official channels after his side’s 3-0 triumph on Sunday, O’Reilly opened up on his game-plan against Salah, who is as difficult a test as they come for a young defender still into his first full season in the first-team.

“I came into the game thinking this would be the outcome,” the 20-year-old said. “I know how good he (Salah) is but I studied his game and what he’d want to do. I knew how strong he was already. But to keep him quiet, it’ll always help the team.”

O’Reilly has enjoyed a sublime start to the 2025-26 season and his fine run of displays at the Etihad Stadium have earned him his first set of senior England call-ups – which could propel him into Thomas Tuchel’s thinking for the 2026 FIFA World Cup should he maintain his form for Manchester City as the season progresses.

City need all the ammunition they can get to claim a fifth Premier League title in six seasons this term as the Blues also look to challenge for the UEFA Champions League, having taken a giant step towards qualification for the Round of 16 with a 4-1 thumping of Borussia Dortmund last week.