Man City Use Decoy Bus Amid Hostile Reception From Liverpool Fans

Manchester City avoided a hostile reception from thousands of Liverpool fans on Sunday by using a decoy bus and a back entrance to reach Anfield. It was their first trip since being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.

Enzo Maresca and his squad came down Anfield Road and went in through a rear access point at Arkles Lane. Police outriders flanked the team buses, while a decoy vehicle threw the crowd off the scent. Most of the home fans had gathered outside the Anfield Road corner and missed the real arrival.

Liverpool fans had took to the streets to give the Manchester City bus a 'hostile reception' pre-game... just for the City team bus to take the alternative route 😅 https://t.co/QU044tFeVp

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 11, 2026

The streets were still full of noise. Fans lined the roads chanting "cheats", and stalls sold scarves and flags mocking City's financial scandal. The alternative route also helped avoid a repeat of April 2018, when the City bus was badly damaged by missiles outside the ground.

The anger comes from the independent commission's ruling that City used "sham" commercial deals to disguise secret funding and inflate revenues by £830m between 2009-10 and 2017-18. 

City won three Premier League titles in that period. The club deny any wrongdoing and have appealed. Many Liverpool fans remain bitter after narrowly losing the title to City in seasons when they collected more than 90 points. They feel the playing field was never level.

City defender Marc Guehi played down the build-up. "It's always a hot atmosphere [at Anfield] so it's no different from any other game," he said. "Everyone is leadership. Everyone's got a big part to play and the togetherness of the team will show."

Jamie Carragher expected the noise to follow them inside. "They will get a very hot reception, but that is always the same when Man City come to Anfield," he said. "Everyone is baying for blood, so it will be very difficult for their players and manager to achieve anything."

The league remains in limbo while the appeal goes on. Possible sanctions are unprecedented, from big points deductions to expulsion from the top flight and the loss of past titles. 

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

The stakes on the pitch are high too. City are top of the table with a perfect 15 points and came in on a run of seven straight wins in all competitions. Liverpool are eighth with nine points, after two wins and three draws with no defeats. Maresca has managed to shield his players from the legal noise, and now they must quickly move past the hostility and extend their flawless run.