Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has defended the post-match celebrations of his squad following their 3-0 win at Liverpool on Sunday.
The trip to Merseyside was City’s first game after an independent commission found them guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The club have since appealed the verdict and continue to deny any wrongdoing.
City players were pictured celebrating with the travelling away fans following full-time at Anfield – after goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki secured the victory – which sparked criticism across social media.
When asked about the celebrations and the comments that followed ahead of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, Maresca said: “Criticised for what? We won 0-3 at Anfield. What do you want us to do?
“I am here today; the players are here today to win tomorrow. We work every day to win games.
“It is the only thing that we can think and focus on. The rest is just things from outside which we need to deal (with). We were so, so happy from inside the pitch and the dressing room.”
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Liverpool’s match against Manchester City in the Premier League
Dias: I stand by Maresca’s words
City captain Ruben Dias, who played the full 90 minutes in the victory, echoed the statement from his manager, as he added: “I very much stand by the manager’s words. It’s a win at Anfield.
“In whatever circumstance, be it early in the season or late in the season, we will enjoy it just as much and celebrate however we feel in the moment. It’s a show of how much it means to us.
“If there’s more or less noise, for whatever reason, it’s all the same. Same as before because people don’t love us winning and we love to win.
“It’s a normal scenario where whenever you win, there are people that are not happy with it because they have the same ambition to win.
“It all mixes together a little bit but mainly we know it’s not easy to get three points at Anfield. That is definitely the main reason. We’re here for the points and to win competitions; that’s the main thing on our minds.”
Dias also confirmed players held a meeting after news of the guilty verdict broke on September 29.
“When it broke, we felt we should have a conversation as soon as we got back,” he said, regarding their return from the international break.
“We did, for everyone to be on the same page and be clear about our peace of mind. We moved on from there.
“It happened in a moment when we were not together but quickly we reached out to each other, found calm and progressed forward.”
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