Why Man City vs Liverpool is the most TOXIC Premier League fixture 

Manchester City and Liverpool may not go head-to-head for the title this season, but they believe there will still be plenty of tension and hostility when they meet at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

Plenty to fight for on the pitch, with City desperately chasing Arsenal, who hold an eight-point lead over them, while Liverpool try to close the gap on Tottenham in the battle for the top four. Outside of that, expect fireworks too, if the history of this accessory is anything to go by.

It’s no surprise that years of competing together at the top have caused friction with so much at stake. Liverpool have finished runners-up to City three times in the last decade, while City have finished second to Liverpool once.

After Manchester United faded as the dominant force in English soccer and Chelsea fluttered up and down as title contenders, the mantle of the two biggest threats in the division has fallen to City and Liverpool. And with that comes the pressure. With pressure comes tension.

We have seen both sides fight fiercely for three points and praise. We’ve seen coaches exchanging heated words after drama-filled games. We’ve seen fans do it too and bring a nasty side to the match. There’s a reason this has become the most unpleasant off-pitch dispute in the Premier League.

With both teams constantly battling at the top, tensions have been at an all time high.

The rivalry seemed to start in 2018 when Liverpool threw projectiles at City’s team bus.

It all seemed to start in the 2017-18 season, when City and Liverpool met in the knockout round of the Champions League.

City at the time were the favorites to win it all as Pep Guardiola’s influence began to take hold while Liverpool still struggled to assert themselves as true contenders under Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds faithful remained optimistic and in high spirits ahead of the first leg of their quarter-final tie, but a section was disappointed by firing missiles at City’s team bus as it arrived at Anfield.

Fortunately, no player was injured, but Liverpool were forced to apologize after bottles, firecrackers, flares and other heavy objects hit the manager.

The damage was so severe that UEFA had to ask City for a replacement bus for their journey home. Liverpool ended up winning the match 3-0 and also won the second leg 2-1.

The shocking incident was essentially the catalyst for what would become a heated saga between the two clubs.

The Reds have finished second to City three times, including losing by one point in 2019.

Liverpool bounced back from City by winning the title by 18 points the following season

Man City would go on to win the title the following year with a whopping 98 points, while Liverpool ran them incredibly close and were unlucky enough to miss out after finishing on 97 points, having lost once all season.

That sheer agony and frustration will have stung Liverpool as they watched City run away with glory as they were forced to wait for their first Premier League title, and first division top win in 30 years.

That came the following year when they claimed victory during Project Restart and the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic with City finishing 18 points behind them.

The next two seasons have seen City come out on top, in 2020-21, with Liverpool finishing third, and 2021-22, which saw them finish runners-up to City once again.

In the 2-2 draw between the two clubs at Anfield in October 2021, City backroom staff claimed they were spat at by fans behind the bench.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had been accused of raising tensions between the two clubs.

Pep Guardiola claimed he was targeted for coins when City lost at Anfield in October 2022, and City said his team bus was also attacked, with damage to the windscreen above (right)

City fans were accused of vandalizing visiting Anfield winger and singing Hillsborough chants

It all came to a head last October before Liverpool’s clash with City, where the Sky Blues took issue with Jurgen Klopp’s tirade about their rivals’ spending.

The German said City are one of three clubs that can “financially do whatever they want”, referring to City, PSG and Newcastle, who are supported by the Gulf states. City then accused him of ‘borderline xenophobia’ and suggested he had inflamed the toxic rivalry between the two clubs.

The match, which Liverpool won 1-0, would be remembered for Mo Salah’s late winner, but also for a spirited brawl off the pitch in which City supporters chanted about Hillsborough, and also drew graffiti mocking the tragedy of the stadium, and Guardiola was the target of three coins. thrown out of the crowd. The city also claimed that his bus was attacked again.

The match, which epitomized the toxic nature of the clubs’ rivalry, also saw Klopp sent off for ‘losing his mind’.

There were fears of more trouble between the clubs as they were drawn in the Carabao Cup in the first match after the World Cup last year. Both sides warned their supporters against “unacceptable behaviour” and vowed to issue stadium bans if any fans were found guilty of being involved in unsavory incidents.

Fans have been warned that anyone found guilty of “unacceptable behaviour” before another clash in December would receive stadium bans.

But pleas were ignored as a teenage Manchester City fan was injured by a hard plastic cup filled with coins and liquid thrown from the other end. She claims that she is ‘scarred for life’

Man City won the battle in that game, emerging victorious 3-2 to progress to the fifth round, but the game was not without incident.

A 15-year-old Manchester City fan was “scarred for life” after a Liverpool fan threw a plastic cup full of coins at her from the other end.

The girl’s head wound had to be patched up by paramedics and a shocking photo of her bloodstained scarf appeared on social media. Liverpool was forced to make a humiliating apology, and chief executive Billy Hogan called the girl’s father.

In the new year, City announced they would install netting, commonplace in European games but rarely seen in the Premier League, around the away winger to prevent similar incidents.

City and Liverpool managers hope that this Saturday’s game will pass without incident

Liverpool look to close the gap to the top four while City chase league leaders Arsenal.

You’d understand if club officials from both clubs were chomping at the bit hoping this game on Saturday, played on April Fool’s Day, would go by without making a fool of themselves.

But there have already been signs of tension in the buildup after Liverpool lodged a complaint with the Premier League after Manchester City were told to cut their ticket allocation by 20 per cent at the Etihad in anticipation of more trouble from public.

That will see Liverpool receive just 2,400 away tickets instead of the 3,000 most clubs have. It hasn’t gone well in Reds camp.

Although they may not be battling each other for honors this season, he promises to be as fiery and passionate as ever at the Etihad tomorrow.