Cherki cracker caps Manchester City win at Liverpool in face of Anfield taunts

· Guardian-PL

It is a soundtrack that Manchester City have heard before but never for such sustained bursts during a match. It came from the Liverpool support, first ringing out around Anfield before kick-off and coming at regular intervals thereafter. It was always going to be like this as City feel their way into a new reality , one conditioned by the guilty verdicts handed to them by an independent commission on virtually all of the 100-plus charges they have faced for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules. City continue to maintain their innocence and have appealed.

It is a soundtrack that Manchester City have heard before but never for such sustained bursts during a match. It came from the Liverpool support, first ringing out around Anfield before kick-off and coming at regular intervals thereafter.

It was always going to be like this as City feel their way into a new reality, one conditioned by the guilty verdicts handed to them by an independent commission on virtually all of the 100-plus charges they have faced for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules. City continue to maintain their innocence and have appealed.

The Kop wanted to tell City what they are. And where they are going. According to them, they are cheats, who are set to be relegated. It was not exactly a bear-pit of an atmosphere; it was not really intimidating. It was more of an outpouring and it was impossible to ignore.

City did not care. They rolled with the invective. And after a slow-burn contest turned on a second yellow card for the Liverpool midfielder, Ryan Gravenberch, in the 62nd minute, City cut loose. All that their players can do is blot out the noise. They did so here, running all over Liverpool’s ten men to maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season.

It was Erling Haaland, inevitably, who lashed them in front and Jérémy Doku, on as a game-changing substitute in the 56th minute, who curled them further in front with an absolute beauty. The best was still to come. Again, Doku was involved. Ryan Cherki dummied a pass from Elliot Anderson and ran onto a back-heel from another substitute, Josko Gvardiol. Cherki then cut away from Jeremie Frimpong, on as a Liverpool substitute, before shooting home. It was a team goal marked by individual brilliance. Liverpool were broken and en route to a first defeat under Andoni Iraola.

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