Manchester City faced a hostile reception and relentless booing from Liverpool supporters at Anfield following their recent financial breach verdicts
Banners, chants, and merchandise branded the visitors as "cheats" outside and inside the stadium as fans vented years of title-race frustrations
Despite the intense off-field pressure and a scoreless first half, manager Enzo Maresca's side focused on maintaining their place at the top of the table
Manchester City were met with a wall of noise at Anfield on Sunday, as Liverpool supporters jeered the visitors in their first Premier League match since the club was found guilty of financial breaches. The league found City guilty last month of more than 100 breaches of its financial rules across a nine-season period.
City tried to avoid the worst of it. They took an alternative route to the stadium, largely avoiding the home fans. No scenes of disorder were reported as the team buses arrived. Outside the ground, the mood was sharper. Street vendors did a brisk trade in shirts and flags with the word “cheats” printed on them, and banners attacking City hung from the stands inside. Liverpool fan Sav Agathangelo said City “should be stripped of everything they’ve won.”
Inside the stadium, City players were loudly booed when they took to the turf for the warm-up. The jeers grew louder as the lineup was read out, and louder again by kickoff. Every City touch in the opening stages brought another chorus of jeers. Relentless booing greeted City possession in a goalless first half.
Manchester City Players Booed By Liverpool Fans - Watch Video
City manager Enzo Maresca stayed calm. He described the arrival at Anfield as “all good” and said the mood and mindset in the squad were good. The club has lodged an appeal against the verdict.
The atmosphere reflects how much the ruling has angered Liverpool’s supporters, who have twice missed out on the league title in recent years, losing by a single point to City. City arrived looking to extend their lead at the top of the table to three points over second-placed Arsenal. The pressure of the hostile crowd was only part of the afternoon’s story, but it was a reminder that City’s off-field troubles are following them onto the pitch.
