Donnarumma Confronts Liverpool Fans After 'Cheat' Chants at Anfield
Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma approached the Anfield away end after City's 3-0 Premier League win on Sunday, with images of the confrontation circulating online as authorities separately investigate a post-match incident in which a police officer was injured.
Donnarumma Confronts Liverpool Fans After 'Cheat' Chants at Anfield
Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma approached the away end at Anfield and appeared to confront Liverpool supporters who had directed "cheat" chants at him throughout City's 3-0 Premier League win on Sunday. Images and video of the exchange circulated on social media within minutes of the final whistle.
The chants were widely read as a reference to Donnarumma's penalty save in last season's Champions League round-of-16 shootout, when the Italian helped Paris Saint-Germain knock Liverpool out of the competition on penalties. The bad blood had been building since.
The result pushed City further clear at the top of the table. Liverpool's poor run of form, extended by Sunday's home defeat, leaves a familiar set of questions hanging over the club.
Separately, a police officer sustained injuries in incidents after the match, with authorities investigating the circumstances. The two flashpoints — Donnarumma's confrontation and the disorder around the game — put the security operation and supporter behaviour at the fixture under a fierce spotlight, and underscored ongoing concerns about safety and policing at high-profile Premier League fixtures.
Van Dijk had set the tone in advance, telling City players in pre-match media to "get used to" a hostile Anfield reception. The post-match scenes made that warning look under-stated, with City players having been on the receiving end throughout.