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Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has pushed back against those criticizing his team's 3–0 triumph over Liverpool on Sunday, making clear he intends to savor the win regardless of the contentious backdrop surrounding it.
In their first match since being found guilty of violating a large number of financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, City moved to quiet a hostile Anfield crowd with a commanding 3–0 result, with traveling supporters gleefully leaning into their roles as the day's villains.
With City's appeal process expected to drag this controversy well into 2027, that charged atmosphere is set to become a recurring reality for Maresca's players.
"The noise will always be there so we need to learn how to deal with that but at the same time we need to try and bring our noise, which is [to] win games, which is what we have done today," Maresca beamed after the final whistle. "At the end of the game, our fans were singing so the noise was from us and not the environment.
"All the away games are going to be with noise so we need to learn how to deal with the noise. And at the same time, we need to make our noise. Our noise is we're singing at the end, our fans, and this has to be our target at the moment."
Some have suggested that City's win over Liverpool has been overshadowed by the guilty verdict. Maresca clearly disagrees with that view,
"You cannot imagine how happy I am," he responded when asked whether he would hold off celebrating victories until the appeal outcome is known. "I don't care [how long it takes]. I'm here to try and prepare games and to win games. Hopefully I can speak about this situation when we win the appeal."
This marked the second occasion Maresca has used the word "when," rather than "if," in reference to City's prospects of winning their appeal.
Haaland Beams With Pride Over Dramatic Victory
Despite the charges against City centering on boardroom misconduct during a period that concluded eight years ago, it was the players on the field who faced the full force of the crowd's jeers.
As City supporters attempted to Olé every pass in the closing stages, their chants were swallowed up by waves of Liverpool fans repeatedly chanting "cheats." Midfielder Elliot Anderson acknowledged the hostility from opposing fans felt "more than normal," which, in striker Erling Haaland's view, made the three points all the more satisfying.
"For every single fan, this is a lovely moment which will stay with us for a long time when it comes to the feeling after the game and in the game," he reflected. "It was tough and it was hard, but we showed amazing character. I'm so proud of everyone."
"It's always tough to come here," Haaland continued, noting that away fixtures at Anfield are never straightforward. "With the Pep [Guardiola] and [Jürgen] Klopp era, it was so tough for both teams.
"It's about these times, stay strong mentally, stick together and do what you can do something about, and what we can do something about is to play good football and to fight together."