A historic rivalry questioned
Jamie Carragher once called the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City the greatest in English football history. Between 2018 and 2022, both teams took almost all available points. City won 358 points and Liverpool won 357 points out of 456. One of the most famous moments was John Stones clearing the ball just 11.7 millimeters off the line to deny Sadio Mane in January 2019, helping City win the league by one point.
Now, after an independent commission found City guilty of 114 breaches of financial rules, fans are asking if this great battle was actually a sham. City deny the ruling and have appealed.
What Klopp and Guardiola think
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not see the rivalry as a lie. He recently said he has big respect for Pep Guardiola and City's style of football. Klopp said they played fantastic football and were a top class opponent. He added that he is fine with what Liverpool achieved.
Guardiola previously admitted that both teams pushed each other to reach historic heights, with City getting 100 points in one season and Liverpool hitting 99 in another. Bernardo Silva, who left City at the end of last season after a nine year career, also confirmed Liverpool were their main rivals by far. However, questions remain. City signed Silva for 43 million pounds from AS Monaco, and critics wonder if they could have built such a team without their alleged financial rule breaks.
Fan anger and lost titles
Many Liverpool fans do not share Klopp's relaxed view. Twice under Klopp, Liverpool lost the league title to City by just a single point on the final day of the season. In 2014, under Manuel Pellegrini, City won the league by two points after Steven Gerrard slipped against Chelsea.
Liverpool fans are now questioning if their efforts on the pitch were fair when the playing field off it was allegedly uneven. City face massive potential punishments if their appeal fails, but for many Reds fans, no punishment can bring back the titles they missed out on.
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