Ironically, in a guest appearance at Liverpool FC, Manchester City’s impressive series broke on Sunday evening. After the first defeat of the season in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola was very angry. His anger was also directed at the Liverpool fans in the stands.
As the team manager reported on the BBC Radio 5 microphone after the game, Reds supporters threw coins at him during the game. The incident happened in the 53rd minute, immediately after Phil Foden’s supposed opening goal had been disallowed by VAR.
“The spectators tried, but they didn’t make it. Maybe they’ll be better next time,” said the 51-year-old.
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp was appalled by what happened at Anfield after the game. “Oh, that’s awful,” said the Reds coach when asked about the coin tosses. “I’m sorry about that. I apologize for that. I had no idea. Something like this should never happen,” Klopp continued.
But Liverpool also had reason to be angry after the game. Manchester City supporters chanted during the game the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. 97 people died in the stadium accident during the FA Cup match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in 1989.
Salah scores for Liverpool – Klopp sees red
“We are deeply shocked to hear such vile chants about the stadium tragedy from the away side of Anfield today,” the club said in a statement. The interior of the stadium had also been daubed with graffiti. They are working with the police to identify the perpetrators, it said.
The duels between Liverpool and Man City have become more emotional in recent years because of the high sporting explosiveness.
On Sunday, the Klopp team had the better end for themselves. Liverpool beat the previously undefeated English champions 1-0 thanks to a Mohamed Salah goal. Klopp saw the red card in the final stages due to angry protests.