Last Sunday in Anfield, Manchester City players emerged onto the pitch, only to be met with boos and chants of disapproval. Having been their first game back since the guilty verdict was announced, City games seem to have a hollow feeling to them.
With no clear punishment or consequences being placed on the team yet, Premier League fans across all teams no longer respect the dominant club.
To the surprise of few, when Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0, Liverpool fans did not even seem to care about their team’s loss. Instead, bringing a negative and hostile energy towards their opponents was their main priority, it seemed.
Fans could even be seen holding banners incorporating Oasis lyrics, as the Gallagher brothers are well known Manchester City fans. The creativity at Anfield was certainly comical. Signs read “And after all, you really robbed us all” and “All of your stars are fading away.”
Although Liverpool didn’t deliver that evening, their fans certainly produced one mighty outcome.
City players don’t seem to be phased, however. Erling Haaland was seen “savouring a statement victory in front of City’s supporters after the final whistle” despite the loud boos and chants from Liverpool fans. Additionally, despite all the drama surrounding their team, City still played well and delivered a strong performance. With Jeremy Doku being introduced and Ryan Gravenberch getting sent off, they were able to easily dominate the remainder of the game after a slow first half. Once they found their rhythm, the team looked calm and composed leading to a solid victory.
However, any City victories currently mean very little to football fans. With their name tainted, each win will feel dirty, no matter how well their players may perform.
Until the team receives the repercussions from their actions, Manchester City will need to get used to a harsher atmosphere for their future matches.
With other teams playing Manchester City soon, the atmosphere at Anfield will likely be the leading example for other club’s fans.
Perhaps it will begin to affect the City players’ performance, or maybe the team will remain as collected as they did against Liverpool. Either way, football fans will not let Manchester City forget that their actions have consequences.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
