Manchester City left Anfield with a 3-0 win, six wins from six and the sort of hard edge that travels well when the noise is rising from all four stands. Enzo Maresca’s side are alone at the Premier League summit on 18 points, matching the strongest opening to a campaign in the Guardiola era.
It was a result to brighten a difficult wider week around the club, with uncertainty still hanging over what consequences, if any, may follow their off-field situation. On the pitch, however, City supplied their own answer: calm enough to survive a testing first half and clinical once the game opened up after the interval.
City find their way through Anfield
- City began in a demanding atmosphere at Anfield, where Maresca felt his team had possession but did not use it properly when out of the ball.
- The manager identified problems in the first half, particularly in the side’s build-up play.
- Adjustments during the break changed the contest, with City markedly improved after half-time.
- The visitors went on to secure a convincing 3-0 victory, extending their perfect start and putting them clear at the top of the table.
Maresca said the setting had made for a difficult afternoon, but he was pleased with the response after the interval. “It was a very tough situation in a difficult environment,” he said. “We had issues in the first half. We had the ball, but without it we were not doing things well. We made some changes in the second half and were much better.”
He added that City’s passing out from the back had fallen short before the break, only for the side to correct it later in the match.
Making their own noise
The City manager expects similarly hostile receptions away from home and believes his players must become accustomed to them rather than be distracted by them.
“We have to learn to deal with the noise because it will be there in every away match,” Maresca said. “We need to face it and create our own noise. Our noise is winning games. The feeling at the end, with our supporters, is a nice feeling and a different kind of noise.”
Asked whether Anfield had felt especially intense, he said he could not be certain. Maresca had previously visited the ground with City in the treble-winning season and welcomed the occasion as part of elite football.
“I have been here once before with City, in the treble season,” he said. “It is good to play in these matches, with that noise and atmosphere. We have to make our own noise and handle theirs.”
Focus remains on the football
Maresca would not say for certain whether the club’s external issues were giving the squad added drive. He accepted they could help bring supporters and players together, but insisted that the team’s attention must remain on its work.
“Maybe yes, maybe no — I do not know,” he said. “It can create unity with the fans. During the week, I said we should show passion, make noise and hopefully celebrate a win. That is the only thing we can focus on.”
For now, City have done exactly that. The questions beyond the white lines remain unresolved, but six fixtures have brought six victories, and Anfield has supplied the clearest evidence yet that their early pace is no accident.
