Manchester City recorded what they will regard as a statement win in the most hostile of territory, beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in their first game since being found guilty of 114 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18. Second-half goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki settled a match that had been overshadowed by the storm around the club before a ball was kicked.
The fixture list could hardly have produced a more charged setting. Liverpool’s supporters nurse the most burning sense of injustice, having finished second to City in 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2021-22, and their argument centres on the belief those titles could have been theirs had City not possessed the high finance of their Abu Dhabi-based owners — finance used in the manner that led to the club being investigated.
Anfield duly delivered the reception that had been anticipated. City arrived through the staff and contractors’ entrance, and the announcement of their line-up was drowned out by deafening jeers. Banners around the ground carried a variety of messages, including ‘A Generation Of Supporters Cheated’, ‘And After All You Really Robbed Us All’ and ‘All Of Your Stars Are Fading Away’ — the last a nod to the Oasis song Stop Crying Your Heart Out, written by Noel Gallagher, who was at Anfield. Even the much-derided half-and-half scarves were doing a roaring trade, until it was noticed that the sky blue half read: ‘Shamchester City – The Cheats’.
City’s own following made its position clear, and any notion that the club’s supporters would turn on the owners was dispelled by a flag reading ‘In Khaldoon We Trust. We’ve Won It All’, a gesture of support for the embattled chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. City’s fans also waved hundreds of inflatable bananas, an old habit from the days they spent in the lower leagues in reduced circumstances. Chief executive Ferran Soriano watched on impassively.
On the pitch, City’s composure diluted the noise. A red-hot atmosphere was cooled by the first half and further muted by City’s domination after the interval, even as Liverpool’s supporters rammed home their disgust, chanting ‘cheat’ every time their opponents passed the ball during a lengthy period of possession. Andoni Iraola’s side had no answer to a display that, on another day and in other circumstances, would have fed the narrative of a performance of champions — a marker laid down to their rivals.
Head coach Enzo Maresca was phlegmatic about the environment his team had walked into. He said they knew there was going to be noise, but that they needed to make their own noise by winning games, adding that for him it is quite easy because he tries to focus on the things he can control. Things outside football, he said, are not in his hands, so he does not stress about them; his stress is reserved for the gameplan and day-by-day training sessions.
Haaland, who had scored the opening goal, described the occasion as a lovely moment for every single person connected with Manchester City that will stay with them for a long time. He said it was tough and hard, but that they showed amazing character from back to front and that he was proud of everyone. Coming to Anfield has always been difficult, he added, recalling that the era of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp was tough for both teams, and he stressed the importance of staying strong mentally, sticking together and doing what they could do something about — playing good football and fighting together.
When it was over, Haaland looked close to tears in front of City’s supporters, among them his father Alf-Inge, while Maresca pumped his fists in jubilation. Anfield’s DJ slipped Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Little Lies’ on to the loudspeakers as a final message of defiance. As City’s players walked off, they were accompanied by the taunt of ‘You’re going down’ from the Kop, and the visiting fans answered with their trademark: ‘We’re not really here’.
Former Liverpool and England defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live that the situation needs rectifying as quickly as possible, while acknowledging that coming to a conclusion is not easy and that it is never-ending and will take a long time to sort out. He said the hard part is that this is a brilliant Manchester City team, but that you have to caveat it and say they did it illegally and bought their way, leaving observers caught between admiration for how good they are individually and unease at how it has all been put together.
The victory keeps City three points clear at the top of the table and extended their perfect start, but it arrives with a qualification no result can remove. City have appealed against the verdict, and until the dust settles and final decisions are made, the Premier League season remains in a holding pattern. Potential sanctions suggested have included Premier League relegation or a record points deduction. Every victory and every league table will come with a metaphorical asterisk until clarity and finality arrive, and no-one knows when that will be. City might win the title — but no-one has a clue whether they will still be in the division next season.