Andoni Iraola questioned the first yellow card shown to Ryan Gravenberch after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, arguing that the dismissal came just as his side were beginning to turn the game in their favour.

Liverpool had matched the Premier League leaders for much of Sunday’s contest at Anfield, pressing aggressively in the opening stages before creating a series of opportunities after half-time. But Gravenberch’s second booking in the 62nd minute left them with 10 men, and City responded with three goals to secure a commanding victory.

Iraola was particularly critical of the decision to book Gravenberch for his earlier foul on Elliot Anderson.

“The first yellow card was just a kick in the toe. It was nothing. It was a normal foul,” he said.

The Liverpool head coach believed the timing of the dismissal was crucial. His side had started the second half with renewed intensity, forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into saves from Gravenberch and Lewis Koumas, while Alexis Mac Allister also went close.

“It was the moment when we were pushing more. The momentum was coming for us and the atmosphere in the stadium was so nice,” Iraola said.

Liverpool had restricted City’s opportunities before the interval and appeared increasingly dangerous after the restart. Milos Kerkez also produced an important defensive intervention to deny former Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye, preserving the deadlock before the decisive incident.

“We conceded very little in the first half. We did a really good job. The second half, we were translating into chances,” Iraola said.

The match changed almost immediately after Gravenberch was sent off.

Erling Haaland opened the scoring two minutes later, reacting quickest after Jérémy Doku’s effort was blocked. Doku then doubled City’s lead in the 68th minute with a superb curling finish, before Rayan Cherki completed the scoring in the 78th minute after combining with Joško Gvardiol.

Liverpool had been competitive for more than an hour, but they struggled to contain City’s movement once they were reduced to 10 men. The visitors exploited the extra space with ruthless efficiency, turning a closely fought match into a comprehensive victory.

Iraola acknowledged that Liverpool had ultimately received nothing for their efforts, but refused to allow the scoreline to erase what he considered encouraging aspects of the performance.

“You learn a lot in games like today. I am very proud of my players. They put the work rate and everything in today. It’s a loss and we didn’t get anything from the performance but I liked it a lot,” he said.

The defeat was Liverpool’s first league loss of the season, while City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League campaign.

Iraola’s immediate task is to help Liverpool recover from a damaging result and prepare for their next fixture, with the short turnaround making the situation more complicated.

Liverpool had already been without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo against City, while Hugo Ekitike remains unavailable. The result also leaves the club needing to assess Gravenberch’s suspension and the wider implications of the defeat.

The head coach’s defence of his players was clear, but the collapse after the red card will still require scrutiny. Liverpool had created enough promising moments to suggest they could trouble City, yet once the numerical balance changed, they were unable to prevent the visitors from taking complete control.

For Iraola, the challenge is to preserve the intensity and organisation that characterised Liverpool’s first hour while finding a way to respond more effectively when adversity strikes.

His frustration with the first yellow card was unmistakable. So, too, was his pride in the work his players had put in.

But after a 3-0 defeat at Anfield, the next test will be how quickly Liverpool can turn that encouragement into a result.