It was, in the words of one senior football figure, like “sitting in purgatory”. That could be sensed in the reactions at Anfield.
On one side, righteous jubilation, “rising above it”. Enzo Maresca sat there beaming after his Manchester City team’s brilliant 3-0 win over Liverpool. It leaves them with a perfect six wins from six, and again top of the league.
And yet that was all to the soundtrack of Liverpool fans singing “going down”.
Up. Down. All so unclear, not least how to feel about it.
Well, one response is obvious. This is utterly unsustainable. The Premier League can’t go on like this, at least in any kind of proper sense.
It’s one thing to be talking about the effects of the City case for two weeks before games actually happen. It’s another to feel what the actual effects of that are, and the absurdity of watching a game that may not even matter by the end of the season.
There was an absurdity to the whole occasion at Anfield (Getty)
And, within that, the very nature of this fixture posed other sporting integrity issues.
There may be an immense difference between playing City before any sanctions and after.
Because, while it’s easier to be galvanised in the immediate aftermath of a decision like the Premier League published two weeks ago, it is very difficult to generate the same response when there are concrete and visible outcomes.
But will the result even stand? It is that very question that deepened the fury of a lot of football executives watching on. And that naturally goes beyond their mere enjoyment of a match. It cuts to the impact on the business they work in.
This was the big marquee Super Sunday showpiece and it was instead showcasing just what a mess the Premier League is in.
Manchester City celebrated their win at Anfield under the shadow of the independent commission’s guilty verdict (Getty)
It was why some executives were already messaging others over whether the Premier League should simply suspend City from the competition now, or if 15 clubs should push to vote for that.
As one argued, “this is a farce that will lead to protest, damage to the integrity and reputation of the competition, and possibly even violence. The board has a duty at law to its shareholders to protect, enhance and promote the interests of the Premier League.”
And this certainly isn’t that.
Others were poring through the rule book until they got to Rule B6, where 15 clubs can – in theory – vote to expel City now.
It should be stressed that prospect is viewed as having virtually no chance of happening. There are too many conflicting views, not to mention owner business relationships with Abu Dhabi.
Many are also aware City would take to the High Court and win. They would be reinstated, but after the process would have caused more chaos.
The point is more that executives are now exercised enough to even suggest this. “It’s clearly that urgent,” one says.
Man City fans show their support of club chair Khaldoon Al Mubarak amid the uncertainty over the club’s appeal and possible sanctions (Getty)
That was the wider impact of this game, precisely because it may end up having no actual impact on the table.
Others were talking about genuine business concerns. There are currently estimated to be around four Premier League ownerships looking to sell, with Everton the most public.
That market had already become more difficult. Prospective buyers are more reticent. The most recent wave of owners have realised that football’s global boom doesn’t necessarily translate into a new world of revenue. Making money out of the game, even at Premier League level, is a lot harder than all of the ostentatious expenditure would have you believe.
There is a concern that buyers could now take fright, wondering “what next?”
“Franchise value,” for want of a better phrase, is currently plummeting.
Man City CEO Ferran Soriano was in the stands at Anfield (PA Wire)
The grim irony of that concern shouldn’t escape people. It was the Premier League’s neoliberal view to ownership that has left it in this situation in the first place.
But this does now feel like a world flipped on its head. The Premier League’s imperious assurance in its global superiority suddenly feels fragile.
How couldn’t it when it’s very raison d’etre – putting on football matches that mean something – is being completely undercut?
City’s performance meanwhile made them feel anything but fragile, despite the uncertainty the club is facing up to. They remain adamant they will be cleared on appeal. Hence the righteous jubilation on Sunday. There is an anger within the club, that they are currently acting on.
It is consistent with their entire response so far, as if the world has imposed this upon them and they are lashing back.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that this all ultimately comes from a guilty verdict out of an investigation into the words the club’s own staff wrote. No one else.
And, from that, there is another uncertainty weighing over all of this.
Man City were rightly jubilant after beating Liverpool (Getty)
If it’s unlikely that clubs vote to expel or suspend City, the Premier League board can ask for suspension in the suggestions over what a sanction should be. The Independent Commission can take that decision.
And there is an increasing feeling the panel might feel compelled for sanctions of that severity, due to the will to protect the competition.
All of this is up in the air, like the feelings towards this very match. And, now, this entire season.