Manchester City suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season at Aston Villa on Saturday, a result that came amid a barrage of chants accusing the club of cheating after a guilty verdict on breaches of the league’s financial rules. The loss was a reminder that the team’s recent away outings have been under intense scrutiny, both from hostile crowds and from the media.
In the days before the Villa match, midfielder Elliot Anderson admitted that the hostile atmosphere was palpable. Speaking to TNT Sports, Anderson said, “Yes, probably. Everywhere we go we get it.” He added that the fans at Liverpool and in the Midlands had made their feelings clear, and that the club’s travelling party had already tasted the hostility that will likely continue throughout the season.
Despite the criticism, manager Enzo Maresca remained confident that the players were not letting the noise affect their performance. In an interview with BBC Sport, Maresca said, “We played Liverpool away, Villa away, and the players showed that they don’t care about noise. They play the game, they are focused on what they can do on the pitch.” He praised the squad’s ability to concentrate on what they can control and to keep their focus on winning matches.
Defender Marc Guehi echoed the sentiment, noting that it is easy to be distracted by the surrounding noise, but that the team is “just focusing on the football.” Guehi had a difficult game against Villa, giving away the ball for the opening goal and receiving a yellow card after a challenge on Nicolas Jackson. Maresca defended Guehi, calling him a “top guy” and saying he was “completely happy” with his performance. He also acknowledged that mistakes from the defense or goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma are recognised and dealt with appropriately.
The City faithful have responded to the hostile chants with their own self‑deprecating humour, counter‑chanting “we know what we are” and “City’s going down with a billion in the bank.” The club is set to enjoy a brief respite with back‑to‑back home games against Brighton in the Carabao Cup and Premier League, before heading to the Champions League against RB Leipzig and then travelling to Nottingham Forest on 7 November for a league fixture. The Forest crowd is unlikely to show much sympathy for City’s situation, given the club’s recent four‑point deduction for financial rule breaches.