Enzo Maresca: Man City boss defends Anfield celebrations after beating Liverpool in first game since guilty verdict

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.

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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 - which sparked criticism across social media.

When asked about the celebrations and the comments that followed 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.

"It is the only thing that we can think and focus on. The rest is just things from outside which we need to deal [with]. We were so, so happy from inside the pitch and the dressing room."

'I don't stress about things I can't control,' says Maresca

The City boss then reiterated that he remains calm regarding the situation with the process ongoing.

City submitted their appeal on Thursday October 1 and the Premier League has new rules this season which state an appeal has to be heard within 12 weeks of it being lodged. The appeal can last a maximum of five days - held over a block of days, so Monday to Friday.

However, City may try to delay the appeal process by arguing that the new rules should not apply in this case as City were charged in 2023 - three years before the new rules were introduced.

But, as it stands, the five-day appeal, to be heard by a new three-person panel, has to be finished by mid-December.

"I said many times, I am completely calm and relaxed. I promise you that I stress a lot about game plan and how we train," Maresca added.

"I don't stress about things I don't control. The message with players will be the same.

"As I said, we know how serious the situation is. It is not something we can do something [about]. Where we can do something is inside the pitch.

"The noise around the team is a big noise but we need to try to deal with that and try and make our noise, to win games."

Dias: I stand by Maresca's words

City captain Ruben Dias, who played the full 90 minutes in the victory, echoed the statement from his manager, as he added: "I very much stand by the manager's words. It's a win at Anfield.

"In whatever circumstance, be it early in the season or late in the season, we will enjoy it just as much and celebrate however we feel in the moment. It's a show of how much it means to us.

"If there's more or less noise, for whatever reason, it's all the same. Same as before because people don't love us winning and we love to win.

"It's a normal scenario where whenever you win, there are people that are not happy with it because they have the same ambition to win.

"It all mixes together a little bit but mainly we know it's not easy to get three points at Anfield. That is definitely the main reason. We're here for the points and to win competitions; that's the main thing on our minds."

Dias also revealed the City players held a meeting after news of the guilty verdict broke on September 29.

"When it broke, we felt we should have a conversation as soon as we got back," he said, regarding their return from the international break.

"We did, for everyone to be on the same page and be clear about our peace of mind. We moved on from there.

"It happened in a moment when we were not together but quickly we reached out to each other, found calm and progressed forward."

'City players sent message with celebrations'

Sky Sports News' Ben Ransom at Maresca's press conference:

"We all saw those scenes at Anfield. The City fans wanted to show their support throughout the game to the club and the players, and the players reciprocated when they scored each of the three goals in front of them, and again at the end of the game when the result was confirmed.

"That was all set against the backdrop of the intense goading from the Liverpool fans who wanted to have their say about how they felt about the findings of that independent commission.

"For the players, I think it was as much about sending a message back to the fans at the end that they valued their support, but also a little bit of them wanting to send a message to the wider football world, to other clubs in the Premier League as well.

"They are defiant in the face of that verdict, certainly while the appeal is ongoing."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Enzo Maresca: Man City boss defends Anfield celebrations after beating Liverpool in first game since guilty verdict