Man City Met With "Cheats" Chants on Anfield Return After Guilty Verdict

Manchester City were greeted by loud chants of "cheats" as they arrived at Anfield on Sunday for their first match since being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.

Liverpool fans lined the streets outside the stadium. Many have felt aggrieved by City's dominance over the last decade, and the mood was hostile. 

Stalls sold scarves and flags mocking the financial scandal at the Etihad. Police took the City team bus on a different route to avoid the biggest groups of protesters. That helped avoid a repeat of 2018, when the bus was pelted with missiles.

The anger comes from the independent commission's ruling that City and their owners used "sham" commercial deals to disguise secret funding and inflate revenues. 

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Other reports put the figure at more than £830m, over the period from 2009 to 2018. City won three Premier League titles in those years and laid the base for the Pep Guardiola era. City have appealed.

Liverpool fans are especially bitter. They narrowly lost the title to City in seasons when they collected more than 90 points, and they feel the playing field was never level. Possible punishments are unprecedented, from big points deductions to expulsion from the top flight, and even the loss of past titles.

Only one word on the mind for Liverpool fans at Anfield 🗣️ https://t.co/0nGmq4hTqn

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 11, 2026

For now, the league is in limbo. The final outcome is undecided while the appeal goes on, and managers around the league are worried about the effect on the competition. 

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said on Friday: "I think the worst thing probably is the uncertainty, that no one knows what's going to happen."

On the pitch, Enzo Maresca's side came in on a run of seven straight wins in all competitions. The Italian has done well to shield his players from the noise, but Anfield is a different test. 

Liverpool started in a frantic way, pressing high and pushing City into uncomfortable positions. As the game went on, City tried to slow it down and keep the ball to quieten the crowd, but the atmosphere stayed electric.