Manchester City's players were greeted with a chorus of boos and jeers as they took to the field at Anfield for the Premier League clash with Liverpool. The hostility began before the visitors had even stepped onto the pitch, with unified chants of "You cheating bas*****, you know what you are" ringing out from Liverpool supporters. City were also subjected to songs relating to them going down.
Gianluigi Donnarumma and his goalkeeping understudy Geronimo Rulli got a taste of things to come when they ran out to warm up to loud boos and jeers. The focus of attention was inside the ground ahead of kick-off, but outside Anfield, Scouse vendors had seized the chance to profit from City's downfall. Stalls were littered with scarves, T-shirts and flags reminding the fallen champions of their guilt.
Banners and dark humour
One scarf proclaimed 'Shamchester City - The Cheats', while a huge flag displayed a picture of Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and the rest dressed in prison uniforms looking miserable. Few do dark humour better than the people of Merseyside.
Traveling City fans brought some banners of their own. The most notable one unfurled in the away section said: 'In Khaldoon We Trust - We've Won It All.' A reference to City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, who is leading his club's appeal and insists there is evidence to prove their innocence.
More booing echoed around Anfield when Haaland and his team-mates came out to warm up. Haaland appeared unfazed, but the toughest test was still to come. City's players looked focused like never before, but the noise ahead of kick-off was incredible and impossible to ignore. "Cheats, cheats, cheats" rang in their ears like a big base drum.
Secure arrival operation
The Liverpool anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' provided some light relief from the abuse, but there was no doubting City were all alone here. Ruben Dias barked out the instructions to his team-mates in the huddle. And then battle commenced, one which was as much mental as physical for the visitors.
Earlier, City's team bus avoided a gauntlet of hate as it arrived at Anfield ahead of the crunch showdown. A huge police operation ensured Enzo Maresca and his team got inside the ground without incident. While the Liverpool bus arrived for the game at the Anfield Road entrance to the stadium, the City coach pulled into Anfield at the opposite side of the ground.
Two City coaches, with no windows, arrived via Arkles Lane flanked by police outriders. It pulled into a garage inside the Anfield Road Stand. There were some jeers from home supporters and chants of "cheats". But considering thousands of Liverpool supporters had gathered outside the Anfield Road corner of the ground hoping to ambush the City bus, the operation had hoodwinked most of them.
Security measures and past incidents
Anfield Road had been a seething mass of Liverpool supporters. Thousands lined each side of the street. Some climbed onto the tops of porches and railings. The smell of cordite hung in the air from the red flares being let off.
Following long consultations with both Greater Manchester and Merseyside Police forces, along with Liverpool Council, City had formed two plans in terms of getting into the ground. Liverpool had been as desperate as City for the arrival to pass without serious incident. There were two different routes: the usual one, and one taking the team past the Arkles pub, which is no place to be for a quiet pint on match days.
It is also the place where the City team bus got infamously pelted with bottles as it arrived for a crunch Champions League showdown in 2018. Eight police riot vans and dozens of officers waited around for the operation to get into full swing. A father and son stood in defiance, holding up banners declaring City 'cheats'. But when the coach approached, most Liverpool fans appeared oblivious to what was going on.
