Erling Haaland appeared emotional as he stood before Manchester City’s supporters, among them his father Alf-Inge, while head coach Enzo Maresca celebrated by punching the air.
Maresca said: “We expected plenty of outside attention, but the best response is to create our own momentum by winning matches. We must become comfortable with that pressure, although the main objective remains victory.
“My approach is straightforward: I concentrate on what I can influence. There is no point worrying about matters beyond my control.
“I cannot dictate what happens away from football. My attention goes into preparing the tactics and managing our daily training sessions, while everything else is out of my hands.”
Haaland added: “This is a wonderful occasion for everyone connected with Manchester City, especially the supporters, and we will remember it for a long time. The match was extremely demanding, but the entire team displayed outstanding resilience. I am incredibly proud of them all.
“Playing at this ground is never easy, as the results over the years demonstrate. Matches between the sides were consistently difficult during the Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp period. We had to remain mentally composed, stay united and focus on the elements within our control: producing quality football and battling together.”
City have challenged the ruling, but the Premier League campaign remains overshadowed by uncertainty while the appeal process continues and a final outcome is awaited.
A convincing City victory at Anfield would ordinarily be celebrated without conditions or lingering questions.
Under the present circumstances, however, that is not possible.
Until the situation is resolved, each result and every version of the league standings will carry an implied qualification, with no clear indication of when a definitive answer will arrive.
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