Erling Haaland said Manchester City’s 3-0 win at 10-man Liverpool showed they will “stick together” after the club was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
Haaland put City ahead at Anfield on Sunday before Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki netted to silence Anfield after Liverpool fans barraged them with taunts about the guilty verdict.
Enzo Maresca’s side showed no signs of being fazed by the abuse in their first match since the club discovered an independent commission had found them guilty of breaking over 100 financial regulations.
City, who are appealing against the decision, could face a massive points deduction that would likely lead to relegation or even be stripped of their titles.
But for now Norway striker Haaland insisted their defiant performance at old rivals Liverpool proved they are still committed to the City cause.
“Every single person that is part of Man City, and every fan, this is a lovely moment that will stay with us for a long time,” he said.
“It was hard, but we showed amazing character from back to front. So proud of everyone. It’s always tough to come here.
“Important to stay strong mentally, stick together and do what you can do something about and the thing we can do something about is to play good football and fight together. That’s the only thing we can do.”
City were helped by Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch’s red card for two bookings just prior to Haaland’s opener.
They ran riot after that to move three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Whether they are able to maintain a title challenge with a potential punishment looming remains to be seen.
Haaland said City’s players can only concentrate on their performances while the club’s Abu Dhabi-based owners deal with the legal ramifications of the verdict.
“You want to win games, it’s as simple as that. Perform well, play good football and win games. This was a mental battle,” he said.
“Proud that we managed to stick together, we are mentally strong. Plenty of games coming up so time to recover and go again.”
City midfielder Elliot Anderson delivered a composed display in his first taste of the rivalry with Liverpool after his close-season move from Nottingham Forest.
The England international echoed Haaland’s assessment of his side’s spirit, saying: “Togetherness, fight, a tough place to come and we stuck together and fought for each other. We’ve showed courage.
“The atmosphere was more than normal, arriving into Anfield and the first 10 minutes of the game.
“We did well to quieten the crowd. Struggled first half but second we were better and then the goals came.”
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