Roy Keane has hit back at Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca's comments following their Premier League victory over Liverpool
Pundit Roy Keane during a UEFA Nations League match
Roy Keane has snapped back at Enzo Maresca's comments following Manchester City's Premier League win over Liverpool(Image: Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Pundit Roy Keane has snapped back at Enzo Maresca's comments following Manchester City 's Premier League victory over Liverpool on Sunday.
The two sides faced each other in their first match since the international break, and for the first time since news broke of a verdict in the case relating to City's 115 charges. The Premier League confirmed earlier this month that an independent commission found the club guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of financial rules.
City was also found guilty of the majority of charges relating to its failure to cooperate with the investigation. The verdict is subject to an appeal, and any potential punishment is not yet known.
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As a result of these developments, there was plenty of noise heading into Sunday's game. Liverpool supporters, understandably, made their feelings on the matter loud and clear in the form of banners and chants ahead of kickoff.
Despite the atmosphere, City was ultimately able to come out on top. Liverpool looked the better side for periods but was cruelly undone in the second half by a controversial sending-off for Ryan Gravenberch.
The floodgates opened from that point forward, and Erling Haaland scored shortly after. Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki added a second and third to ensure City's winning start to the season continued.
How long City's title challenge will continue without the prospect of sanctions hanging over it remains to be seen, but newly appointed manager Maresca praised his team for how it handled the pressure. "I said during the week we need to learn how to deal with the outside noise because of the situation," he told the media post-match.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City Manager, celebrates at full-time following the Premier League match against Liverpool
Maresca praised his Manchester City players following their Premier League win over Liverpool(Image: Photo by Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
"We have to learn how to deal with that. But at the same time, we need to try and make our noise. That's winning games like we did today. At the end of the game our fans were singing so the noise was from us and not from the environment."
They were comments that pundit and former Manchester United player Keane did not take too kindly to. The retired Ireland international emphasized that the so-called 'noise' and criticism surrounding City at the moment is a consequence of the club's own actions.
"I think he's on bonuses to say 'noise'," Keane quipped. "Every time he says noise he gets a bonus. The noise is their fault! It's their fault."
While City now shifts its attention to the Champions League midweek with a huge clash against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool also needs to dust itself off and prepare for the return of European football. The Reds travel to Austria to face LASK as they look to make it two from two in the league phase.