Maresca hails Man City's 'togetherness' and hits back at Anfield 'noise' after 3-0 win over Liverpool
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has spoken at length about his side's 3-0 win at Anfield, their first match since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, with his comments about dealing with the "noise" from angry Liverpool fans making headlines across the board.
The Liverpool Echo reports that Maresca had delivered a private motivational speech to his players before the clash (Liverpool Echo), and afterwards praised his squad's spirit, doubling down on City's stance over the charges while making a "good" vow regarding Liverpool (Liverpool Echo). ESPN similarly reports that Maresca praised City's "togetherness", pointing out that the club's hierarchy showed a united front at Anfield during the victory (ESPN).
BBC Sport quotes Maresca saying his squad "dealt with the noise" and that he was "proud" of them after the win, which came in City's first game since the guilty verdict on the financial rules case (BBC Sport). Liverpool.com reports that Maresca was responding directly to the Anfield atmosphere, after angry Liverpool supporters made their feelings heard following the 114-charges verdict (Liverpool.com). This Is Anfield carries a similar line, quoting Maresca as saying "the noise will always be there" in response to the fury from the home crowd (This Is Anfield).
The Guardian goes further on the content of his remarks, quoting Maresca as saying "we make our own noise" while hailing his players, and separately quoting him saying "you cannot imagine how happy I am... I'm here to win" after the 3-0 triumph in City's first outing since the guilty verdict (The Guardian).
Not everyone was impressed by Maresca's comments, however. Liverpool.com reports that Roy Keane "shoots down" Maresca, hitting back at the City head coach's remarks following the win over Liverpool, though the specific details of Keane's objection aren't given beyond that he publicly disagreed with Maresca's stance (Liverpool.com).
Taken together, the outlets broadly agree on the headline facts: City won 3-0 at Anfield in their first game since being found guilty in the financial rules case, and Maresca used his press duties to praise his players' unity while brushing off hostility from Liverpool fans over the verdict. Where they differ is in emphasis - some focus on the pre-match team talk, others on his "noise" comments, and Liverpool.com adds the dimension of Roy Keane's pushback against Maresca's version of events.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.