As Manchester City’s jubilant players danced in front of Noel Gallagher, Alfie Haaland and Co in an away end full of inflatable bananas, the Anfield DJ had some fun by playing Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac.Most of what we saw in this blockbuster-billed but slight letdown of a spectacle is a lie, of course – but for Liverpool and Andoni Iraola, there were several cold, hard truths staring them in the face.For the second year in a row, the sensational talents of Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland were simply too much for the Reds to handle, in a short period that – regardless of being a man down – showed why Iraola’s men are a little short of what they want to be.It was the first defeat for the Basque boss since he moved from Bournemouth but also confirmed a few more worries that may have nagged him in his first months on Merseyside, such as the faltering fortunes of the big-money men.Florian Wirtz was the biggest letdown of the 22 that started the match, while Bradley Barcola has left a lot to be desired since his move from Paris Saint-Germain. A few nice moments aside, neither of the two marquee men did enough.Barcola will be given time, of course, as he settles into his new surroundings — but Wirtz is not the new boy any more and needs to start delivering. Victor Munoz’s display was one of the few positives to take from a bleak day for LiverpoolAt a combined £239m, Wirtz and Barcola were shown up by the two unknown quantities that joined them in the Reds attack: Lewis Koumas, on his first Premier League start, and new boy Victor Munoz, who signed from Osasuna for £34.5m, peanuts in this day and age.Koumas was like a rash with his relentless pressing, Munoz was a constant nuisance to City’s defenders, but Barcola was predictable and Wirtz constantly made the wrong decisions when he got the ball in attacking areas.This game was there to be won for Liverpool. There were openings either side of half time and yet the home team did not seem to believe enough, second-guessing themselves when they had chances to exploit holes in behind City.It would be wrong to criticise Iraola’s side without mentioning two huge mitigating factors, though: the red card, which was the wrong decision, and three defining players sitting in the stands in Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai.The Reds have scored seven league goals this season and six had come from that trio. Without them, there was a lack of bite as the attack looked rather toothless.This afternoon, then, also showed up Iraola’s lack of depth, an issue that was well flagged during the summer transfer window. Sunday saw another disappointing display from Liverpool’s big-money signings Without Isak, they were left to rely on Koumas who is an admirable player with a big future but was playing in the Championship with Hull City last season.There were things to like about this performance. Until the red card, Liverpool were solid at the back and Alisson barely had a save to make despite City finding a lot of joy with off-the-ball runs from the likes of O’Reilly and Anderson exposing spaces.Szoboszlai’s absence was felt but the midfield felt balanced and, until the red card, Ryan Gravenberch put in his best performance in some time. Both the Dutchman and midfield partner Alexis Mac Allister caused Gianluigi Donnarumma moments of panic with long-range shots.Gravenberch, Iraola and Co are right to feel aggrieved with the sending off. The first foul was not a booking at all and never has been, with referee Chris Kavanagh seemingly quick to go to his pocket.It ruined the contest and it makes one wonder why VAR is so happy to get involved in every process apart from yellow cards. New rules from IFAB say second yellows can be checked but not the first booking. Why?Even before the red card, though, Liverpool failed to grab the occasion or match by the scruff of its neck and City had weathered the storm of a feisty and hostile Anfield. Lewis Koumas made first Premier League start against City and looked lively but is only youngAfter Gravenberch’s exit, Iraola’s men were frazzled and crumbled far too easily. They felt like a boxer that had received a hefty jab and just could not find their balance again. Three goals went in and the only surprise was that it was not more.’They were not smart enough, don’t be letting them off the hook just because they had 10 men,’ said Roy Keane on Sky Sports.With 11 men on the pitch and the best goal threats back from injury, this game might have ended much differently.But the problem for Iraola is that his depth – or lack thereof – was brutally exposed, and the gap in quality between Liverpool and league leaders Manchester City, however much of that is reality and not a sham, was highlighted for all to see.