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Gary Neville Praises Enzo Maresca's Manchester City After 3-0 Victory Over Liverpool Amid Premier League Charges

Gary Neville has applauded Manchester City following their convincing 3-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield, despite the club facing serious Premier League financial charges. Under Enzo Maresca, the team silenced a hostile crowd and extended their lead at the top of the league to three points.

Visitors Overcome Hostile Atmosphere

The leaders of the Premier League delivered a composed performance on Merseyside after being found guilty of financial breaches. The match was intense with constant jeers from home fans until Ryan Gravenberch was sent off, which gave City an advantage. Goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki ensured full points for the visitors despite the looming threat of sanctions.

Neville Highlights Mental Strength

"Anfield is a very difficult ground to win at. Those City players and staff are celebrating together. Liverpool fans are singing 'you’re going down.' So you get a sense of the background of this game. You don’t know where City are going to end up but you can’t take that performance away from Enzo Maresca and his players."

Neville recognized the mental toughness shown by the team in handling the pressure at the stadium of their biggest rivals.

The Shadow of Potential Punishment

Despite the victory, Neville admitted the ongoing investigation casts a shadow over the club's achievements. Speaking further, he said:

"That’s the first Man City game I’ve done since the charges came out a few weeks ago. I did say if you could take me off Man City games until the verdict that’d be perfect. We should be able to praise the win without the thing in the back of your mind. Ruben Dias, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Elliott Anderson were excellent. At the end of the game you’re imagining if the guilty verdicts are confirmed there’s going to be a cloud over the club."

Upcoming Challenges

Manchester City must now shift their focus to European competition as they prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain, the current Champions League holders, in a crucial group-stage match on October 14. This will be another tough test for Maresca's squad while the club's legal issues continue in the background.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are left with tactical concerns after struggling performances from Florian Wirtz and the absence of Alexander Isak were felt keenly during the match.

  • Match Details:
  • Date: October 14, 2026
  • Teams: Liverpool vs Manchester City
  • Competition: Champions League
  • Kickoff Times: Liverpool at 19:45, Manchester City at 22:00 against PSG

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