Manchester City went to Anfield on Saturday under the heaviest cloud in the club’s history and came away with a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man Liverpool. Second half goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki kept City’s perfect start under Enzo Maresca intact and restored their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League. It was their first match since an independent commission found them guilty of breaking the league’s financial rules.
The Premier League confirmed on September 29 that the commission had upheld 114 of the 115 charges brought against City in February 2023. The club was found guilty of all 80 charges relating to financial wrongdoing and 34 of the 35 charges of failing to cooperate with the league’s investigation. According to the league, City used “sham” sponsorship contracts between 2009 and 2018, with the club’s Abu Dhabi owners covering the difference, which inflated revenue and reduced costs by about £900 million.
City have rejected the verdict. The club said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the decision, insisted it is innocent and has lodged an appeal. No sanction has been handed down yet, as punishment will be decided at a separate hearing, but a heavy points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League remains possible if the appeal fails.
The period under scrutiny covers some of the most successful years in the club’s history. City won three league titles during those seasons, and rival clubs argue the spending also laid the foundation for the dominant era that followed under Pep Guardiola, who left at the end of last season. There has also been talk of titles being stripped retrospectively, although nothing of the sort has been proposed by the league.
Few clubs feel that grievance more keenly than Liverpool, who have finished second to City three times in the past 12 years. “There are so many moments and memories we can’t get back,” Liverpool supporter Martin Reilly, 23, told AFP. “They have to throw the book at them.”
That anger was visible long before kick-off. City’s team bus arrived under police escort, although there was no repeat of 2018, when the bus was pelted with bottles before a Champions League quarter-final. Fans lined the streets chanting “cheats” and “going down”, stalls sold scarves mocking the scandal, and a banner on the Kop read “a generation of supporters cheated”.
On the pitch, Liverpool could not match the noise in the stands. Andoni Iraola, in his first season in charge, was without the injured Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, and his side created little in a cagey first half. Their best moment came early in the second half when Lewis Koumas, making his first Premier League start, was denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The game turned on a substitution. Maresca brought on Doku early in the second half, and within minutes the Belgian winger was brought down by Ryan Gravenberch, who received a second yellow card that looked harsh. Liverpool never recovered from the red card.
Haaland broke the deadlock 25 minutes from time, smashing home after Doku’s shot was deflected into his path. Three minutes later, Doku curled a superb effort into the top corner. Cherki completed the scoring late on, exchanging passes with Josko Gvardiol before sliding the ball under Alisson Becker.
The defeat was Iraola’s first since taking over at Anfield. For City, the result keeps them clear at the summit, but how much those points will be worth depends on the outcome of the appeal and the sanctions hearing still to come.