01 April 2023 , 16:32
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Manchester City have said they are "disappointed" by chants from their fans aimed towards supporters of Liverpool during Saturday’s Premier League encounter.
City took Liverpool apart with a 4-1 home victory as Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish all found the net for Pep Guardiola’s side after Mohamed Salah’s opener for the visitors, but off-field chanting once again added a sad asterisk to the game.
A statement from Manchester City after the match read: "Manchester City FC are disappointed to have heard inappropriate chants from home fans during today's game. We regret any offence these chants may have caused and will continue to work with supporters groups and officials from both clubs to eradicate hateful chanting from this fixture."
Liverpool have so far declined to comment on the incident but have previously reiterated their ambition to eradicate all forms of hateful and discriminatory chanting. The Premier League issued a statement to Mirror Football, which read: "The Premier League condemns the chanting heard during today’s match between Manchester City and Liverpool. The League is treating the issue of tragedy chanting as a priority and as a matter of urgency.”
In the most recent league meeting between the pair at Anfield in October, City fans were criticised by Liverpool for singing songs referencing the Hillsborough disaster, visiting manager Pep Guardiola claimed that he was hit by a coin allegedly thrown from the Anfield stands and City's team bus suffered damage as they left the stadium following their 1-0 defeat.
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Both clubs had taken the rare step of issuing a joint statement ahead the EFL Cup tie between the sides in December, calling on fans of both sides to root out the "unacceptable behaviour" which has blighted recent meetings between the pair, and was signed by City chief Ferran Soriano and Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan.
Gundogan and De Bruyne were among the scorers for City against Liverpool (AFP via Getty Images)Guardiola sparked controversy in Saturday's match when he celebrated one of Man City's goals by facing up to Liverpool substitute Kostas Tsimikas as he walked past him on his way back to the dugout.He then shook the hand of Liverpool's Arthur Melo before tapping him on the head, but denied his conduct was disrespectful.
“I was happy and I said ‘how nice was our goal?’ That’s all,” Guardiola said post-match.
Asked if he was simply having fun, Guardiola then responded: “Of course, come on.”
Asked whether his celebration lacked respect, a slightly frustrated Guardiola replied: “I’m so sorry. Speak with Tsimikas, speak with Arthur for a lack of respect.
“Ask him if I lack respect. I celebrated the goal. I celebrate with my son on the floor and I come here and I say ‘the goal was nice, wasn’t it?’ That’s all. I’m so sorry. Do you think it was a lack of respect? Ah okay, I’m sorry.”