Manchester City beat 10-man Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table to three points in their first match since being found guilty of breaching the league’s financial rules.
Second-half goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki sealed a commanding victory for City, who took advantage of Liverpool’s numerical disadvantage after Ryan Gravenberch was sent off shortly before Haaland opened the scoring.
City, who are appealing the verdict, have won all six of their league matches this season.
An independent commission found that City and their Emirati owners had arranged “sham” deals to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018.
No punishment has yet been imposed, but the club could face a substantial points deduction or even expulsion from the English top flight if their appeal fails. Speculation has also centred on the possibility of retrospective action to strip the club of titles.
The alleged breaches occurred during a period in which City won three Premier League titles and several other trophies.
Rival clubs argue that the alleged financial misconduct helped lay the foundations for City’s period of dominance under former manager Pep Guardiola, who left the club at the end of last season.
Liverpool were among the clubs most affected by City’s success, having finished runners-up to them 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.”
Hostile Anfield reception
City arrived at Anfield under police escort, with a hostile reception expected from the home supporters. However, there was no repeat of the violent scenes witnessed before a Champions League encounter in 2018, when the visiting team bus was pelted with bottles.
Liverpool fans lined the streets, chanting “cheats” and “going down” as the visitors arrived. Merchandise stalls displayed flags and scarves mocking City’s financial controversy.
A banner in the famous Kop stand behind one of the goals read: “A generation of supporters cheated.”
The fierce contests between Guardiola’s City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool had become one of the Premier League’s biggest fixtures in recent years.
But Liverpool failed to match the occasion on the pitch, suffering their first defeat under new manager Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard was without injured players Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, limiting his options against the reigning title contenders.
Liverpool briefly threatened after the interval when Lewis Koumas, making his first Premier League start, was denied a goal by City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Red card turns the tide
City’s financial backing, following their Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008, helped transform the club from a mid-table side into one of English football’s dominant forces.
Their quality and depth proved decisive against Liverpool, particularly after Gravenberch received a second yellow card for a foul on Doku shortly before the hour mark.
Liverpool struggled to recover from the dismissal, and City soon capitalised.
Haaland broke the deadlock 25 minutes from time, finishing a deflected Doku effort to put the visitors ahead.
Three minutes later, Doku doubled City’s lead with a superb curling strike into the top corner.
Cherki completed the rout after exchanging a neat one-two with Josko Gvardiol before slotting the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The emphatic victory strengthened City’s position at the top of the table while deepening the frustration at Anfield on a day when the financial controversy surrounding the visitors had dominated the build-up.
AFP
