"They were getting whopped and totally outplayed!" – Ex-Chelsea star blasts Erling Haaland for 'attitude' towards Liverpool stars in 2-0 loss

Ex-Chelsea star Craig Burley has slammed Erling Haaland for his attitude during Manchester City's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Liverpool on Sunday (December 1).

Earlier this weekend, the Cityzens were handed their sixth defeat in their past seven matches across all competitions. Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah each bagged a goal on the either side of the break for the league leaders at Anfield.

Haaland, meanwhile, produced a below-par performance against the Merseyside outfit. The 24-year-old Norwegian registered just one shot on target, failed to win a duel, and was even seen joking with Salah after the Reds' second goal.

During a post-match chat on ESPN FC, Burley was asked to share his honest thoughts on the former Borussia Dortmund man's display against Liverpool. He replied:

"Erling Haaland... he seemed a little bit jokey with few of the Liverpool players. It was almost a little [casual]. You remember the City players laughing at Tottenham [Hotspur] on the bench in the Carabao Cup? And we were at the time thinking, 'Yeah, they probably don't need the Carabao Cup because they've got all these other things they are fighting for now'."

Burley, who played for Chelsea between 1989 and 1997, concluded:

"I don't know, that kind of attitude is maybe seeping through a little bit. I didn't like Haaland smirking today as if it was some sort of a pre-season friendly game at Anfield. They were getting whopped and totally outplayed!"

So far this campaign, Haaland has found the back of the opposition net 17 times in 19 games across all competitions for Manchester City. However, he is going through a lean patch as he has scored twice in his last eight league games.

Liverpool legend opines on recent 2-0 triumph

Speaking on ESPN FC, Reds great Steve Nicol claimed that Arne Slot's side were too dominant during their home clash against Manchester City. He said:

"I don't remember a game of this size, with two teams going for the title, to be so one-sided in the first half. It wasn't Manchester City... this was Liverpool against a team at the bottom of the table. It was so one-sided that it was scary. I couldn't have dreamt as a [Reds] fan that they were going to be so dominant."

Despite relishing just 44% possession, Liverpool peppered their opposition's goal with 18 shots with seven of them hitting the target. Manchester City, on the other hand, recorded just eight shots with only two of them being on target.

The Reds are atop the 2024-25 Premier League table with 34 points from 13 games, while City are in fifth place with 23 points from 13 league games.