Manchester City defender Marc Guéhi has publicly responded to the hostile reception he received from Liverpool supporters during Sunday’s dramatic Premier League clash at Anfield, expressing bemusement at the targeted boos while steering focus to his team’s resilient victory.
The England international, whose every touch was jeered by the home crowd, played a pivotal role in City’s 2-1 comeback win, a result that kept the reigning champions firmly in the title race.
Speaking to Manchester City’s official media channels following the match, Guéhi addressed the audible animosity directly. “I’m not sure why, to be honest!” he said, smiling. “But I can’t control what their fans think of me. I’m just grateful for our fans for sticking by me, supporting me the whole game!”.
The jeers are widely understood to stem from a collapsed transfer saga last summer, where Guéhi appeared destined for Liverpool before his then-club, Crystal Palace, abruptly halted the deal on deadline day. The defender subsequently joined Manchester City in a January move, a decision he has firmly stood by.
In a pointed interview upon his arrival at the Etihad, Guéhi stated, “There’s been some talk and a lot of noise, but when asked if I wanted to come to City, there was only one answer”.
The hostile atmosphere did little to disrupt Guéhi’s concentration on the pitch.
According to performance statistics, he produced 13 defensive contributions, including a crucial sliding interception to deny substitute Curtis Jones from setting up Mohamed Salah for a late equalizing chance.
His all-around performance earned a 7.4 match rating and was capped by a strategic, if controversial, yellow card for pulling back Salah on the edge of the area, a decision reviewed but upheld by VAR.
The defender deflected post-match discussions about the crowd’s behavior toward praising the collective effort.
“When you’re trying to win games, especially against tough opposition like Liverpool, that’s the standard,” Guéhi remarked. “It has to be every single person giving every single bit of energy and effort for their brother next to them, and everyone did that today”.
The victory held special significance for City’s traveling support, as Guéhi noted someone had told him it was the club’s first win at Anfield with fans present since 2003.
The dramatic late turnaround, sealed by Erling Haaland’s stoppage-time penalty after Bernardo Silva’s equalizer, underscored the resilience Pep Guardiola’s side will need in the title run-in.