‘Stupid’ – Wayne Rooney criticises Liverpool star after Man City defeat

Wayne Rooney singled out Ryan Gravenberch for criticism following Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, branding the midfielder ‘naive and stupid’ for putting himself in a position to get sent off.

Gravenberch had arguably been the standout player on the pitch for the opening hour of Sunday’s crunch encounter at a red-hot Anfield, City’s first match since receiving a guilty verdict for breaching Premier League financial regulations.

However, Gravenberch picked up a booking for a foul on Elliot Anderson shortly after half-time and the Dutchman was shown a second yellow card when he clumsily brought down Doku in the 62nd minute.

Referee Chris Kavanagh waved away animated protestations from Liverpool’s players before Gravenberch eventually made his way of the pitch, and the contentious sending off proved a major turning point in the contest, with Erling Haaland firing City in front only three minutes later.

Before long, the visitors doubled their advantage through substitute Jeremy Doku, who evaded the attentions of Victor Munoz before curling a superb strike into the corner of Alisson’s goal.

Rayan Cherki increased the deficit with a piece of solo brilliance in the 78th minute and Enzo Maresca’s men held firm to maintain their 100 per cent record in the English top flight this term.

The result ensured City reclaimed their three-point leave over Arsenal, the reigning champions, at the summit, while Liverpool remain stuck down in ninth place ahead of their trip to Brentford next weekend.

For ex-Manchester United and England forward Rooney, Gravenberch’s red card had a monumental impact on the game – and he felt the Netherlands international ultimately let his side down, despite the first booking being ‘harsh’.

‘I think the first yellow card is harsh,’ Rooney while watching back replays of Gravenberch’s foul on Anderson in the Match of the Day studio.

‘He’s obviously gone for the ball, it’s a poor touch by Elliot Anderson, and then he just nicks it and Gravenberch catches him on the top of his foot and then he goes down.

‘So it’s probably not a yellow card.

‘But for me, the second one, when you’ve been booked and you’re on a yellow card then you leave yourself in a position where you can get a second yellow card and sent off.

‘It’s a bit naive and stupid for that second yellow card.’

Switching his focus to City’s performance, Rooney picked out Doku for special praise after the Belgian had a major hand in both of City’s opening goals.

‘He’s got a really good understanding with Nico O’Reilly so when he came on the pitch, O’Reilly seemed to be making more forward runs,’ Rooney, a five-time Premier League winner with United, added.

‘The goal is fantastic. It’s a great ball out from Elliot Anderson and [Victor] Munoz comes back to help [Ronald] Araujo out but Doku is that quick, he’s that sharp, he cuts inside and there’s nothing Munoz can do about it. It’s a wonderful finish.

‘Doku coming on… his form in the second half of last season was excellent, he’s had injury, he’s come back and he’s just picked that form straight back up. He’s such a good player when he’s in that form.’

Rooney has some sympathy for City’s players following last month’s guilty verdict, claiming Maresca’s squad can only ‘try to beat what’s in front of them’ while the club wait for a response on their appeal.

‘They could be fighting for the title or fighting for relegation, no one knows where it’s going to end up,’ Rooney continued.

‘So yeah, it’s a bad situation to be in but as far as those players are concerned, all they can do is go out and try to do the job on the pitch.

‘The independent panel of the Premier League will decide what happens to them in terms of punishment, but they can only go out, play and try to beat what’s in front of them.’

City will look to pick up where they left off and make it seven wins from seven when they return to Premier League action at home to Ipswich next Saturday.

First, though, the Etihad stages what promises to be a compelling midweek Champions League clash between City and Paris Saint-Germain.

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