Manchester City maintained their impressive momentum under Enzo Maresca with a commanding 3-0 victory against 10-man Liverpool. This triumph comes during a turbulent period for the club, as it marks their first appearance following a formal guilty verdict regarding more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations. But with the eyes of the world watching today, Liverpool failed to rise to the occasion on the field.
An independent commission determined that City and their Emirati owners orchestrated a series of “sham” deals between 2009 and 2018. These arrangements were designed to artificially inflate club revenues and suppress costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.2bn). While the specific sanctions remain pending—ranging from significant points deductions to potential expulsion from the top tier—the verdict has cast a long shadow over the club’s recent history, including three titles and various trophies won during the period in question. But a severe points deduction or even expulsion from the English top-flight is on the table unless City overturns the decision, no sanction has yet been handed down. There has even been speculation that there could be retrospective action to strip City’s titles. The Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008 transformed City from mid-table mediocrity into the dominant force of the English game.
Critics, including rivals and fans, maintain that this illegal spending provided the foundational strength for the team’s dominant era under former manager Pep Guardiola. Liverpool, which finished as runners-up to City three times over the past 12 years, appeared particularly incensed. Outside Anfield, supporters greeted the visiting squad with chants of “cheats” and “going down,” while banners inside the Kop end declared that “a generation of supporters cheated.” Reflecting the collective frustration of the home faithful, 23-year-old Martin Reilly remarked that the club must “throw the book at them,” noting that many memories from those seasons cannot be recovered. “There are so many moments and memories we can’t get back,” Liverpool fan Martin Reilly, 23, told the AFP news agency. “They have to throw the book at them.”. While merchandise stalls were littered with flags and scarves mocking City’s financial scandal, liverpool fans lined the streets to greet the visitors with chants of “cheats” and “going down”. A banner read “a generation of supporters cheated”, in the iconic Kop end behind one goal.
Despite expectations of a volatile reception, City’s journey to the stadium passed without the violent outbursts that marred their 2018 Champions League visit. Midfielder Elliot Anderson acknowledged the charged atmosphere, telling reporters that the team relied on grit to overcome the hostility. He noted that while the initial pressure from the crowd was intense, the squad stayed composed and eventually managed to quiet the home support. But there was no repeat of the violent scenes when their team bus was pelted with bottles ahead of a Champions League clash in 2018, city arrived under the protection of a police escort with a hostile Anfield welcome expected.
On the pitch, Liverpool struggled to capitalize on the moment, hampered by the absences of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak, and Cody Gakpo. Manager Andoni Iraola faced his first defeat, though the Reds briefly threatened when Gianluigi Donnarumma denied a close-range effort from Lewis Koumas shortly after the halftime interval.
The match turned decisively when Ryan Gravenberch received a second yellow card, reducing Liverpool to ten men. City capitalized on their numerical advantage as Jeremy Doku, introduced off the bench to leverage the team’s economic depth, proved instrumental. Following a deflected effort, Erling Haaland broke the deadlock with 25 minutes remaining, paving the way for a clinical finish to the game.
Doku doubled the lead with a precise strike into the top corner just minutes later. Rayan Cherki then sealed the result after a slick combination with Josko Gvardiol, slotting the ball past Alisson Becker. For City, the win secures a three-point lead at the top of the table, though their long-term prospects remain tied to the impending resolution of their legal appeal.
