Former Belgium international Toby Alderweireld has hailed Jeremy Doku after the winger inspired Manchester City to a convincing 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.
Doku delivered an influential second-half performance after coming off the bench in the 56th minute, helping City maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season.
The game remained closely contested for almost an hour before the Belgian winger changed the momentum with his pace, dribbling and direct attacking play.
Doku’s impact was immediate as he troubled Liverpool’s defence and forced Ryan Gravenberch into a foul that earned the midfielder a second yellow card and dismissal.
Reflecting on his contribution, Doku said: “Maresca’s words when I came on? He just told me what position I was going to play.
“When you’re on the bench, you look for a way to influence the game, and that’s what I did.”
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With Liverpool down to 10 men, City capitalised on their numerical advantage. Doku’s deflected effort off Alexis Mac Allister helped Erling Haaland open the scoring before the Belgian scored himself with a curling effort.
The 24-year-old then initiated the move that led to Rayan Cherki scoring City’s third goal, completing an impressive cameo following a frustrating calf injury earlier in the season.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Alderweireld explained why Doku presents such a difficult challenge for defenders.
He said: “In a defender’s point of view, it’s horrible to defend against him because he can go outside, inside, he comes dribbling at you and sometimes he stops and you think, OK. And then his acceleration is unbelievable and he’s a strong guy as well.
“And the only questions before was like, can he give the assist? Can he get that goal that he needs to deliver? But like today, yeah, when he shoots like this, it’s unbelievable. Yeah, a big star.”
Doku’s performance helped City secure all three points at Anfield, with the winger earning praise for his ability to change the game and deliver in the final third.
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