Gary Neville warns 'cheats' chant will linger over Premier League

Gary Neville told Manchester City’s squad that chants branding them “cheats” will continue and warned a “huge cloud” will hang over the Premier League for months. The former England international made the comments while the club returned to action against Liverpool. His remarks were recorded by Sky’s commentary team at Anfield.

Financial verdicts spark hostility

Enzo Maresca’s side were berated with the “cheats” chant as they faced Liverpool for the first time since the Premier League found them guilty of more than 100 breaches of its financial rules over a nine‑season period. The verdicts were handed down a few weeks before the match, and the chant echoed from the Kop throughout the second half. The atmosphere reflected the lingering resentment among fans.

Match turning points

Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal after two bookings just after the hour altered the game’s dynamics. Manchester City responded by scoring three times – Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki all found the net – preserving their unbeaten start to the season. The goals came as Liverpool struggled to regain composure. Neville said: “That is brutal.” The players out there are being called cheats… That could catch on across the grounds and across the country until the punishment does come in.” He added that this was the first Manchester City game he had commentated on since the guilty verdicts and that he would be delighted to be taken off City games until the appeal is heard.

He praised Liverpool’s senior players – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias and Elliot Anderson – for their first‑half performance, describing them as “excellent and stood strong as a group”. Neville warned that if the verdicts are confirmed in January or February, Manchester City may not retain their current position, leaving a “huge cloud” over the whole league.

Massive protest as City take on Liverpool after financial ruling

Manchester City have denied any wrongdoing. After the match, Erling Haaland said: “Every single person part of Man City, and every fan, this is a lovely moment… it was tough but we showed amazing character from back to front. So proud of everyone.”

Elliot Anderson echoed the sentiment, stating: “I think we’ve shown real togetherness and fight. It’s a tough place to come and we really stuck together out there, fought for each other and played well. I think we’ve shown courage here.”

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The article includes three Images, labelled View 3 Images, with a photo credited to James Gill. It was written by Connor O'Neill, Senior Sports Content Creator, at 22:21 on 11 Oct 2026. The piece appears in the Sport section of the publication.