Following Manchester City's dominant victory over Liverpool, Oliver Brown of The Daily Telegraph has written a scathing article highlighting Manchester City's current predicament. He argues that Manchester City displays no sense of shame, with players and fans celebrating as though victories gained through alleged financial breaches are legitimate. They openly embrace their status as footballing pariahs.

The old saying goes that cheaters never prosper. Yet after Manchester City's resounding return to dominance with an emphatic win over Liverpool, one might question whether that ancient wisdom needs reassessing. Players and fans alike celebrated as though glory gained through alleged financial misconduct were justified. The jubilant banana waving by Noel Gallagher and mocking chants from the stands when Gary Neville appeared for Sky Sports commentary—it was all steeped in unparalleled arrogance.

Shame? It appears the entire Manchester City organization has no idea what the word means.

They openly embrace their outsider status. Some fans even brandished banners designed to mimic the Oasis logo with the word "Cheaters" printed beneath. Superficially, this represents one of Manchester City's most remarkable achievements in history. Spurred on by Harvey Elliott's dubious red card, a dominant Manchester City inflicted Liverpool's worst home defeat in Premier League history. Yet this victory may ultimately prove meaningless—a thought that provides some small comfort to the Kop faithful on that painful afternoon.

Liverpool supporters chanted "you're going down," while Manchester City's blue-shirted supporters celebrated as though they were martyred angels.

The whole affair is utterly farcical.

This absurdity will not disappear next week, next month, or even next year. Every great Manchester City victory, every stunning goal, is overshadowed by dark clouds. These triumphs could be completely expunged from the record books. The club aims to win the league again, but ultimately, that trophy could be recorded as a blank space or reallocated entirely.

So even in defeat, their rivals can mock the victors without fear. Liverpool's reaction is the best example. Under normal circumstances, such a result would be deeply embarrassing for the Reds, and fans would direct their anger at manager Arne Slot. This time, they barely seemed to care.

The stadium announcer played Fleetwood Mac's "Little Lies" to end the match.

It's clear Manchester City intended a forceful response to their rivals. After Phil Foden scored the team's third goal within 13 minutes, chants of "Attack, attack" rang out, and Sergio Agüero displayed manic gestures—signs of relentless form. However, Manchester City faces another fire that even the exceptional Erling Haaland cannot extinguish. In fact, Manchester City is in scorching form, poised to replicate their remarkable 100-point achievement from nine years ago. Yet those 100 points could be deducted due to years of inflated revenue allegations.

This stark contradiction has created the most bizarre atmosphere in English football history: Manchester City's sublime victory at Anfield is athletically impressive yet spiritually hollow.

Intense hatred makes it difficult to accept, yet in the current situation, two facts can coexist. On one hand, you can admire Erling Haaland: he scored swiftly after missing a gilt-edged chance, with his father Alf-Inge offering encouragement from the stands. You can also admire Dodo's refined technique; his curled finish briefly silenced the roaring Anfield crowd.

On the other hand, you feel dismayed by Manchester City supporters' indifference—waving banners reading "We believe in Calderon" while completely disregarding the true source of the club's enormous competitive advantage.

The football world eagerly awaits Manchester City's appeal verdict. There is widespread belief that an independent panel's finding of guilt after examining hundreds of thousands of pieces of evidence will humble Manchester City. Yet this match suggests otherwise. Manchester City steadfastly denies all charges, and the team's brazen celebration of victory is difficult to stomach. Consider the banana waving—viewed as a relic of the 1980s when Manchester City dropped to the second division. The banana became popular then, implying that even if the team were relegated several divisions, fans would still support them.

Such behavior is profoundly bizarre, almost deranged.

Manchester City under Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is entirely different from the Jimmy Frizzell era. Unlimited wealth enabled the club to commit unprecedented violations. 900 million pounds: this is the total amount Manchester City inflated commercial revenue through bogus contracts. Yet the arrogant demeanor of players and supporters at Anfield suggests they take pride in this. Away supporters repeatedly chanted, "You're being torn apart by a leopard" late in the match.

This mentality is often called a "siege mentality."

The entire squad under Guardiola is steeped in it. Erling Haaland blew kisses to away supporters after scoring, and Elliott Anderson praised his teammates' fearless courage. But such declarations of loyalty coupled with unified action are merely superficial. It is certain that players now proclaiming eternal commitment to the team would not hesitate to leave when formal sanctions are enforced.

Currently, Manchester City possesses a spotless yet tainted record—built by a lavish squad assembled with vast sums and relentless determination. They appear capable of beating any opponent. Though achieving 38 consecutive wins would be a challenge, if they manage it, those 114 points will be extraordinarily absurd.

Liverpool supporters deployed golden balloons to display this figure, recalling the number of charges against their rivals deemed proven; the stands also featured adapted Oasis songs and a banner at the front of The Kop reading: "And in the end, you robbed us all."

Too much drama? Not really.

This scandal is robbing football of something precious. Most importantly, the credibility of the Premier League itself.

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