Manchester City's away fixture at Anfield drew a notable crowd response, with the match falling as the club's first on the road following a ruling that found it had breached Premier League financial regulations. The club has filed an appeal.
Vendors outside the stadium were selling items tied to the Premier League financial rules case against City as supporters streamed in before the 4:30pm kick-off. Smoke from lit flares was visible in the area outside the stadium as fans gathered ahead of the team coaches' arrival.
The two clubs' team coaches arrived at the ground via separate routes, with the path taken by Manchester City's vehicle drawing a smaller gathering of supporters outside the entrance than the route Liverpool's coach had passed through. Scattered calls of "cheat" rang out from the crowd as both team coaches pulled into Anfield, though the arrivals passed without any breakdown in order.
Jeers from the Anfield crowd greeted the City players as they came out onto the pitch for pre-match preparations. Banners displayed in the home end carried messages directed at the club, one proclaiming that a generation of supporters had been let down, while others drew on Oasis lyrics — the band counting prominent Manchester City fans among its members — with texts including altered versions of "Champagne Supernova" and lines from "Don't Look Back in Anger" adapted to suggest supporters had been wronged.
Among the tracks reportedly selected by the squad for the pre-match warm-up were Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right But It's OK" and Calvin Harris's "Blame", according to the Press Association.
Hostile noise from the terraces greeted the City line-up as it was read out, and a fresh wave of displeasure swept through the ground when both sets of players emerged onto the pitch. The crowd directed an accusation of cheating at those on the pitch in terms that fell outside the bounds of polite language.
Enzo Maresca, who serves as City's head coach, told a television channel before kick-off that the squad's frame of mind was where it needed to be, with a positive atmosphere in place as the match approached. He added that the blend of players, fans, and everyone else involved carries real weight in how things come together.
Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi told a broadcaster before the match that the venue's atmosphere was no different from what he encounters at any other fixture, while the visiting side acknowledged they were operating in a testing environment and intended to compete for the result. Maresca expressed confidence that the squad's collective spirit would be on display by the end of the day.
