The eyes of the world were on Manchester City in anticipation of an Anfield bearpit and a show of visceral hatred after the guilty verdicts handed down by an independent commission.
City’s buses have endured serious damage on Merseyside before and they kept their route under wraps, ultimately avoiding any altercations when entering the stadium.
Daily Mail Sport spent the day in Liverpool to observe how hostile the welcome was for a club hated across the country – but nowhere more so than here…
12.39pm
At Lime Street Station, the first few Manchester City supporters are arriving off the train from Oxford Road. A lad wearing a Scream mask mills about. Liverpool city centre is busy but serene, only the stag and hen dos discussing the night before really making much of a scene.
1.34pm
Down Venmore Road, at the back of the Kop, one group of home fans notice their first unofficial merchandise stall. It is draped in the usual half-and-half scarves, but noticeable at a second glance are the more bespoke items available for the occasion. Huge blue flags, depicting Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Sheikh Mansour in cartoon prison garb, have ‘guilty 114’ plastered on them. Foden’s likeness is up for debate.
Roaring with laughter, a home fan can be heard demanding one for the day. He parts with £15 for the privilege. A cheats flag goes for a tenner. Shirts riffing off the second Oasis album read: ‘What’s the story, trained glory?’
The seller’s patter with his public extends to: ‘Like OJ, it was nailed on, weren’t it?’
Liverpool fans were ready and waiting with AI banners, edited half and half scarfs and t-shirts to humiliate their rivals
Huge blue flags, depicting Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Sheikh Mansour in cartoon prison garb, have ‘guilty 114’ plastered on them
2.07pm
Anfield Road, the pyro thoroughfare, is beginning to fill up. A police drone buzzes overhead and some of the local constabulary are kitted with gas masks in anticipation of the smoke to follow.
A man there with his daughter is attracting some attention, having decked himself out in the t-shirt and clutching a guilty flag. He loudly pleads ‘no paparazzi’ as he stands in the middle of the street, then shouting that ‘the prisoners are coming’ after noticing some movement further down the road. It feels early and proves a false alarm, ambulances making their way down instead.
Music begins to blare from inside the bar across the way and some begin to clamber up the walls and railings for the main event later.
2.23pm
The chants disparaging Manchester ramp up. And those masks come in handy as red smoke billows. A homemade ‘cheats’ banner – white lettering stitched onto plain red material – is unfurled by a lady on her own, barging to the front of the throng. A City fan wanders around the area without acknowledgement, with police walking up and down the road filming. Security struggle to hold people back in an attempt to keep the road clear.
2.46pm
There is a theory that a string of minibuses are carrying City players. That would certainly dodge any unwanted flashpoints from the visitors’ perspective. With tinted windows, it is almost impossible to peer inside the vehicles but there are seemingly an unusually high amount of them. It could well be that one is carrying City directors Ferran Soriano, Ingo Bank and Hugo Viana.
A fan from the Republic of Ireland says he hasn’t been to a home match for two years but wouldn’t miss this. The atmosphere is lulling to a general murmur.
The Liverpool bus was welcomed by a cloud of red smoke provided by their supporters
The fans were out from early to create a hostile atmosphere around the stadium
2.55pm
Liverpool arrive, quickly motoring into the players’ entrance. The place goes wild. One middle-aged man unveils a ‘Cheating B******* FC’ top complete with City crest and looks immensely proud of his handiwork.
Immediately after, police seem to stop thwarting supporters from walking up and down the road. Are City already inside?
3.09pm
‘F****** s**houses’ comes the disappointing shriek as it becomes clear that the two City buses ferrying the squad and staff inside Anfield have evaded the baying crowd. City’s drivers have gone a different route, going past the Shankly Gates and the away end rather than the more conventional route. They enter via the contractor entrance, about 100 yards from the normal point but those waiting for them do not notice until too late, only chanting once the first is already halfway inside. And are stationed too far away.
3.18pm
Several hundred City fans who came on the coaches park up on Priory Road, which splits Anfield and Goodison Park, and are marched across Stanley Park by police. Much larger drones hover. They sing about cheating when they want, Edin Dzeko and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, waving their inflatable bananas. Some posturing with locals ensues, although it is all good natured. Some gawping at the spectacle are wearing fetching friendship scarves down Dahlia Walk behind the away end, only manned by 11 police and two horses. Nine riot buses stand waiting nearby just in case.
The Manchester City buses took a different route to the ground than the usual to avoid the rowdy mob
The home support turned up with shiny balloons mocking the guilty visitors but City’s faithful promptly responded with their inflatable bananas
3.52pm
An away supporter is in touch. He says they have received no comments around the train station or pubs. ‘I’ve built this up in my head and it’s been a massive letdown,’ he says. ‘Looks like it’s all about content than real anger. Embarrassing.’
4.22pm
The fan is inside and texting again: ‘This is lame. No difference from any other game I’ve been to here.’
4.27pm
A small banner hanging from the tunnel talks up Steven Gerrard being a Premier League winner in 2014, while City’s contingent enjoy singing about the legend’s infamous slip. Boos as the players emerge, expensive looking 115 balloons are held aloft and Rayan Cherki is jeered at kick-off.
6.27pm
Jubilant City fans are allowed out at the same time as the home supporters and there comes a brief threat of skirmishes outside the away end. Those of a Liverpool persuasion forcefully ask the police why the rivals are not being kept inside to allow crowds to disperse. ‘Yep, we think exactly the same as you do,’ was the reply. Noel Gallagher has left early and Alfie Haaland purposefully strides home through a sea of red shirts. The pantomime is over.
