Liverpool ‘CLOSE investigation into alleged coin throwing at Pep Guardiola’ during win over Man City
Liverpool ‘CLOSE investigation into alleged coin throwing at Pep Guardiola’ during fiery win over Manchester City in October – with no fans punished due to a ‘lack of conclusive evidence’ from CCTV footage and statements
- Liverpool have reportedly closed an investigation into coins thrown in October
- Pep Guardiola was targeted during Man City’s ill-tempered defeat at Anfield
- Following CCTV footage and statements, the Reds found nothing conclusive
- The match was also marred by chants about Hillsborough and damage to a bus
- Anfield officials call for further information about the events of October 16
Coins were thrown at Pep Guardiola when Man City visited Anfield in October, but Liverpool have closed their investigation due to a lack of conclusive evidence, according to a new report.
No supporters will be punished after the events of October 16, The Athletic has claimed. The Reds beat Guardiola’s Man City side 1-0 that day through a Mo Salah goal.
It brought an end to the Citizens’ unbeaten start to the new campaign, while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was shown a late red card for remonstrating with an assistant referee.
It was a hostile affair off the field too, with reports of offensive chants and vandalism about Hillsborough from the visiting fans, and damage to City’s team coach windscreen on its return trip to Manchester, as Sportsmail revealed at the time.
There has been a degree of bad blood between the Premier League’s top two sides, with unsubstantiated reports that a fan spat at Man City’s coaching staff during a visit to Anfield last season. City’s bus was also attacked outside Anfield ahead of a 2018 Champions League fixture.
In October of this year, the Man City boss was targeted by fan gestures from the main stand, after referee Anthony Taylor disallowed a second half goal by Phil Foden for a foul in the build-up. This is when the coin-throwing took place.
After the match, Guardiola said: ‘Next time they will do it better. They didn’t get me. They tried but didn’t get me. They got it on the coach years ago but not this time.’
Pep Guardiola was targeted with coins at Anfield, but Liverpool will issue no penalties to fans
Jurgen Klopp, who was sent off in the game, apologised on behalf of those that threw coins
Klopp also issued an apology post-match following the misbehaviour of some Liverpool fans, saying: ‘Horrible. I am sorry, I apologise for that. It should never happen.’
The hosts carried out a full investigation of CCTV and witness statements from stewards and fans, but could not conclusively identify the perpetrators, and have issued no punishments, despite threatening to issue coin throwers with lifetime bans.
Anfield officials have said they welcome anyone with additional information to come forward, but have closed the matter for the time being.
Manchester City sit second in the Premier League table, ten points clear of 6th-placed Liverpool. The two sides will meet in the League Cup later this month, and have the reverse league fixture scheduled for April.
Anfield officials are keen to hear from anyone else with information about October’s events
