Manchester City bus takes alternate Anfield approach amid supporter protests

Manchester City's team bus arrived at Anfield from the opposite direction to a gathering of Liverpool supporters before Sunday's Premier League match, according to the Guardian. The visit came after an independent commission found City guilty of breaching the competition's financial rules, with the verdict prompting banners and protests around the stadium.

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Supporters had assembled along the expected approach, some standing on walls, while pyrotechnics added to the crowd outside. The Guardian reported that the fully marked City coach instead travelled along the other end of Anfield Road and around the rear of the stand. It reached the ground with a police escort, avoiding the crowd waiting for its arrival.

Police deployed a drone above the route the bus had been expected to use, and officers filmed those gathered nearby. The Liverpool team coach arrived to cheers and red smoke shortly before 3pm. The security arrangements took place against the background of a previous incident in 2018, when Liverpool were punished after supporters threw missiles at City's bus before a Champions League meeting at Anfield.

The financial-rules verdict was visible in merchandise sold outside the ground. Stalls offered flags and shirts referring to the findings, while supporters also carried homemade banners. The Guardian described Liverpool fans' frustration over their club's title contests with City: Liverpool have finished runners-up to them three times since the 2008 takeover, although only one of those seasons fell within the investigation's scope.

About an hour before kick-off, police escorted City's travelling supporters across Stanley Park. Away fans displayed support for chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak and carried inflatable bananas, a City supporter tradition dating to the 1980s. There was some heckling from home supporters, but the Guardian reported that the escorted group's journey passed without incident. Jeering continued as visiting fans waited to enter the stadium.

Inside Anfield, City's players were booed during their warm-up, and announcements of their names drew further boos. The visitors then won 3-0 to remain top of the Premier League. The result settled the afternoon's football contest, but the eventual punishment arising from the commission's findings remained unresolved in the Guardian's report.