Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, just two weeks after being found guilty of nearly all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations. The win had a brazen quality to it, highlighting the team's confidence despite the recent judgement.
Match Context and Atmosphere
City arrived at Anfield unbeaten and at the top of the table. The atmosphere was charged, with Liverpool fans bellowing 'Cheats, cheats, cheats' and booing City players on the ball. The travelling City fans brought 'Imre Varadi' bananas, a nod to the 80s and a cult player from their days in Division 2.
Former England goalkeeper Rob Green had compared the experience to his time playing for West Ham at Sheffield United after the club secured Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, where the welcome was brutal and West Ham lost 3-0.
City's Siege Mentality
City's tone in recent days has been to cast themselves as victims of an unfair machine. Players have made no direct reference to the context, with Erling Haaland saying: 'We have to stay positive, look ahead, and try to win football games and try to enjoy the situation and win the game. We have to stick together; we have to spread the love to each other.'
The siege mentality feels provocative, as the judgement is not a bad thing that happened to City, but a bad thing City was ruled to have perpetrated. Players were largely uninvolved given the period in question runs until 2018, but it is part of their story too.
Metaphor of Unfair Advantages
The weekend also featured an event called the Super Rich Tax Match, a football game highlighting that many billionaires pay less tax proportionally than those on minimum wage. One team was given ludicrous advantages, including overturning refereeing calls and subbing players on without taking anyone off, leading to a 5-2 lead by half-time and the other side losing heart.
That metaphor stayed with the columnist as City beat Liverpool 3-0. Despite enjoying Rayan Cherki's wizardry for the third goal and Jeremy Doku's worldie, the win had a brazen quality. City's confidence and zest pulled them away, sending the message that the noise is irrelevant—they will win.
