Supporters gathered on the usual approach, but the visitors’ coach was escorted by police along a different route as the club’s financial verdict raised the temperature before the match.
Manchester City’s team bus used a different route into Anfield and avoided most of the hostility awaiting it from Liverpool supporters. Fans had gathered where the coaches normally arrive and set off flares as the home team’s bus came through, to loud cheers. They were expecting City to follow, but the visitors were taken another way under police escort. A few shouts of “cheats” were heard as City arrived.
The scene outside the ground
Merchandise and signs reflected the mood among home supporters. Some displays used the word “cheats” in the style of the Oasis logo, a reference to the Gallagher brothers’ support for City. Other signs read “114 charges, guilty”, while T-shirts carried the slogan “What’s the story? Tainted Glory.”
The financial verdict
The atmosphere followed City being found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League, relating to alleged breaches of financial rules across nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The case involved financial reporting and commercial arrangements. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed. The final outcome and any sanctions remain unresolved, and no punishment should be treated as confirmed while the appeal is pending.
Possible consequences could include points deductions or other sporting and financial sanctions. The outcome could also affect the Premier League’s credibility and prompt further disputes involving rival clubs.
Maresca’s response
City manager Enzo Maresca said he had “complete trust” in the club. “The reason why I joined this club is because I completely trust, 100 per cent, the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, the whole organisation,” he said. “I don’t have any doubt about that.”
He added: “There is not another club in the world where I would like to be. I am very happy to be here, I am very proud, as I’ve said since day one.” He said he would like to speak about the situation “when we are going to win the appeal”.
Ahead of the match, Maresca said that he and the players could only control the football. “We are focused on that. This what we can control. We cannot control something different,” he said. He said he was “not worried at all” about the environment around the squad, which he described as “nice”. City are top of the league, he noted, so “the players have all the reasons to be happy and excited”.
Asked what he expected at Anfield, he said it would “probably be more warm in terms of environment”, but that he became a manager for this kind of game. “It will be a tough game for sure, a tough test, but we need to be ready,” he said. He said the players could face the pressure, and pointed to those who had experienced similar situations, naming Enzo Fernandez.
Rival fans target City
The hostility has not been confined to Liverpool. On 10 October, Manchester United supporters displayed a banner reading “51 YEARS” at Old Trafford, reviving a historical taunt about City’s trophy record. The protest reflected wider frustration among rival fans over whether City’s achievements during the period under investigation were won fairly.
