Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has defended the post-match celebrations of his squad following their 3-0 win at Liverpool on Sunday. The trip to Merseyside was City's first game after an independent commission found them guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The club have since appealed the verdict and continue to deny any wrongdoing. City players were pictured celebrating with the travelling away fans following full-time at Anfield, after goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki secured the victory. The scenes sparked criticism across social media.
Asked about the celebrations ahead of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, Maresca said: "Criticised for what? We won 0-3 at Anfield. What do you want us to do? I am here today; the players are here today to win tomorrow. We work every day to win games." He added that the team's focus remains on the pitch, and that the rest is outside noise they must deal with.
Maresca also said he remains calm about the ongoing process. City submitted their appeal on Thursday October 1, and under new Premier League rules an appeal must be heard within 12 weeks of being lodged. The appeal can last a maximum of five days, so it must be finished by mid-December. City may argue the new rules should not apply because they were charged in 2023, three years before the rules were introduced. "I don't stress about things I don't control," Maresca said. "The noise around the team is a big noise, but we need to try to deal with that and make our own noise, to win games."
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing