Raheem Sterling’s record vs Liverpool since leaving Anfield in 2015

Highlights

• Raheem Sterling has often struggled against Liverpool since he departed the club in 2015.
• Sterling was given his Premier League debut by the Reds before moving to Man City and winning several Premier League titles.
• In spells with Man City and Chelsea, though, Sterling has been on the losing side more often than not against his former club.

Raheem Sterling left Liverpool in 2015 after spending five years at Anfield – and while the England international has enjoyed plenty of success in the time since his departure, he always seems to struggle when facing his former employers.

Since swapping the red of Liverpool for the sky blue of Manchester City, the attacker has been rewarded with four Premier League titles, five League Cup triumphs, and an FA Cup success. He’s lifted more trophies than his ex-club in the eight-and-a-half years since his exit, but has failed to ever produce a standout performance against the Reds.

Even after his transformation from a tricky winger into one of the most clinical forwards in the country, Sterling has still found it hard to impress in encounters against the club that gave him his big break.

Raheem Sterling’s early career at Liverpool

The youngster had the world at his feet

At the start of the 2012-13 campaign, Sterling was handed his first Premier League start by Brendan Rodgers in a 2-2 draw against Manchester City – the club he’d go on to play for. This was after Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish gave the youngster his first appearance in the division at the tail-end of the previous season.

The winger was the third-youngest player to play in the English top flight for the Merseyside outfit at the time, aged 17 years and 107 days old when he made his debut in the competition against Wigan Athletic from the substitutes’ bench. He would even go on to become one of the youngest goalscorers in Premier League history.

Over the next three years, Sterling became a regular starter after breaking into the team regularly during the 2013-14 title charge alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the Liverpool front-line. With the former leaving the club to join Barcelona and the latter facing various injury woes, Sterling was suddenly the main man at Anfield with lots of expectations placed upon his young shoulders.

A fine season as a makeshift centre-forward was enough to convince Manchester City to sanction a £49 million transfer fee for the Englishman. The Reds were initially reluctant to part ways with their star forward, but his desire to make the switch was enough to eventually push the deal through.

After scoring 23 times for the Reds, Sterling headed to the Etihad Stadium, where he would go on to find incredible success. It was a devastating time for Liverpool fans as one of the brightest young talents had decided to leave them to further their career at the top.

Sterling’s Manchester City record vs Liverpool

Wins: 5, Draws: 5, Losses: 8

With the aforementioned trophies Sterling won while playing for the Citizens, two of the biggest occasions on his calendar were the league fixtures against his old club. Whenever returning to Anfield, he would find himself on the receiving end of endless jeers and strong tackles by some of his ex-colleagues looking to get the home fans on their side.

Sterling faced Liverpool a total of 18 times during his time with the Manchester-based club, with the majority coming in the Premier League. In the 12 league games he played against the Reds, the winger was on the winning side only three times, and suffered defeat five times.

It wasn’t only in the league that Jurgen Klopp’s men got the better of City with Sterling in the line-up either, as they also advanced from a Champions League quarter-final between the two English sides in the 2017-18 campaign. Pep Guardiola’s side were humbled 3-0 at Anfield and even tasted defeat in the second leg as the visitors came away with a 2-1 victory on the road.

He may have scored 131 goals in total for the Citizens, but Sterling managed to find the net only three times in his 18 games against Liverpool in the sky blue shirt. This is an average of only one goal in every six games, which is an extremely poor showing for a player of his calibre.

Sterling’s Chelsea record vs Liverpool

Wins: 0, Draws: 2, Losses: 1

It may be a mental block that prevents Sterling from performing on the big stage against his former team. His move from Man City to Chelsea in 2022 hasn’t changed his fortunes against his first Premier League club. The two sides have met four times at the time of writing since his transfer to west London and Sterling has featured in three of those encounters after missing the first of the 2022/23 season through injury.

Two successive 0–0 draws between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge were Sterling’s first experiences of facing his ex-team. The first trip he made back to Anfield in his new colours came in January 2024, and this was perhaps the worst experience of the 21 games he’s played against the Reds. Klopp’s side dismantled Chelsea 4-1 in a dominant display as Sterling’s past club remained at the top of the Premier League and his current club continued to falter in mid-table.

The Blues have struggled to find any real rhythm ever since the 29-year-old’s arrival just over 18 months ago. Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno and Frank Lampard all tried and failed at making a success of the 2022-23 season and Sterling’s injury issues didn’t help.

Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t endured the easiest start to life at the club either, as the Argentine has had to contend with a bloated squad and demeaning supporters. While the league position is far from ideal, Sterling has his first chance at silverware as the Blues meet none other than Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. It could finally be the English winger’s chance to have the last laugh over the club and fans that used to adore him.