How ironic that after the events of the last three weeks, it was ‘sham’ club Manchester City who benefitted from their opponents being given a swift punishment.City players were taunted by taunts of ‘cheats’ before, during and after the game as they took to the field for the first time since being found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules.Man City stars gleefully celebrated victory at full-timeGettyHowever, it was Ryan Gravenberch’s contentious 62nd-minute red card that tilted the balance of arguably the most hyped match in Premier League history in their favour.City’s team coach took a back route into the stadium to avoid the baying crowd waiting to greet them on the Anfield Road.Merchandise stalls were having a field day selling flags emblazoned with the word ‘GUILTY’ and Oasis-themed tee-shirts reading ‘(What’s the story) tainted glory.’City fans arrived armed with inflatable bananas, a throwback to a 1980s Maine Road terrace tradition when they were relegated to the second tier.They also chanted owner Sheikh Mansour’s name and ‘cheating bastards. We know what we are.’As the home supporters belted out their traditional pre-match ‘You’ll never walk alone’ anthem, many in the away end turned their backs and broke into a spontaneous Poznan.The cauldron-like atmosphere certainly seemed to inspire Liverpool’s players in the early stages, while Marc Guehi in particular looked rattled.The England defender gave away a needless free-kick after being caught in possession by Victor Munoz before later taking the ball out of the gloves of his own goalkeeper from a Milos Kerkez cross.A heated 11th-minute clash between City’s £116m man Elliot Anderson and Alexis Mac Allister prompted a pantomime melee involving players from both teams and more cries of ‘cheat, cheat, cheat’ from the stands.That was really where the first half drama ended, and neither goalkeeper was seriously tested as the action on the pitch failed to live up to the build-up off it.City were braced for a hostile reception against Liverpool due to their guilty verdictGettyThe Anfield crowd made its feelings clear at kick-offGettyAnderson’s reaction to a heavy challenge from Gravenberch two minutes into the second, leading to a booking for the Dutchman, half cranked up the noise levels once more.Nico O’Reilly having his name taken by referee Chris Kavanagh for a late tackle on Munoz to pick up City’s first yellow card prompted a roar from the Reds faithful as loud as if a goal had been scored.The academy product was another player who showed signs of being knocked off his stride by the furore surrounding City’s guilty verdict.Haaland had not had a sniff of goal until Antoine Semenyo picked the pocket of Milos Kerkez and played in the striking Viking, but he rolled his shot wide with only Alisson to beat.The Norwegian goal machine made amends moments later by smashing a left-foot half-volley into the far corner after Jeremy Doku’s cross had been deflected into his path.Gravenberch’s red card was the turning point in the matchGettyFeeling of injustice among Man City criticsHaaland’s opener came just three minutes after Gravenberch had been given his marching orders for an innocuous challenge on super sub Doku.Doku crowned an outstanding cameo off the bench three minutes later by cutting in from the left and curling an unstoppable right-foot shot into the top corner.Rayan Cherki left Anfield in stunned silence with a sublime piece of footwork to leave Alisson on his backside before slotting into the far corner to seal a resounding 3-0 win.The fact that City’s three goalscorers cost a combined £137m will only add to the feeling of injustice among their critics. Not that there were many Liverpool fans left to boo them come full-time.Maybe cheats do prosper…