Ruben Dias Defends Man City Celebrations After Liverpool Win Ahead of PSG Clash

Manchester City captain Ruben Dias said on Tuesday that "people don't like us winning and we love winning," as he strongly defended the club's exuberant celebrations after beating Liverpool, despite the club being found guilty of multiple breaches of Premier League financial rules.

City were jeered by Liverpool fans throughout their 3-0 win at Anfield last weekend, which left them top of the Premier League table, three points ahead of reigning champions Arsenal, with a perfect six wins from six.

It was City's first match since the club was found guilty of more than 100 charges relating to breaches of the English top flight's financial fair play rules.

City have appealed the verdict, and every match the club plays from now on takes place under a cloud of uncertainty.

Enzo Maresca's side return to European action on Wednesday, when they host reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at home in the Champions League.

Both clubs are backed by wealthy Gulf owners, with City supported by the Abu Dhabi royal family and PSG funded by the Qatari state.

"I really feel I'm speaking for the whole group; we trust the club," Dias said, despite City being found guilty of 34 charges of failing to cooperate with the league's investigation.

The Portuguese defender added: "Whether there's more or less noise, or for whatever reason, in the end everything stays the same, just like before, because people don't like us winning and we love winning."

City have been criticised for the way they celebrated enthusiastically after the win over Liverpool, who were reduced to 10 men.

But Maresca was unrepentant: "Criticised for what? We won 3-0 at Anfield. What do you want us to do? Even if it was 1-0 it would have been exactly the same.

"We work every day to win matches. That's the only thing we can think about and focus on."

Dias backed Maresca: "Winning at Anfield in any circumstances, whether it's early in the season or late in the season, we're going to enjoy it the same.

"We're going to celebrate the way we feel in that moment, and that clearly shows what that win meant to us."

Maresca added that the fallout from the guilty verdicts is harder on City's fans than on his team.

"Maybe it's harder for our fans than for the players or myself," he said.

"It's more complicated because if I'm an Arsenal or United fan and you're a City fan, I can say 'Hey mate, you're a cheater' or things like that. So maybe it's harder for them."

PSG are chasing a third consecutive Champions League title, having come from two goals down to beat City 4-2 in impressive fashion in the 2024-25 season.

"The message for tomorrow night is quite simple, we have to play a perfect game because PSG are currently the best team in Europe," Maresca said.

"They won the last two Champions Leagues, which shows how good they are. So we need a perfect match, but at the same time doing our best, I think we can beat them and be happy at the end of the game."

Former City manager Pep Guardiola is expected to attend Wednesday's match, marking his first return to the Etihad since leaving at the end of last season, after the Spaniard publicly backed his former club during its current crisis.

"I spoke to Pep after the Manchester United game," Maresca said.

"If he comes, it's a great feeling — especially for him, because this has been his home for 10 years with what he's done here. That's exciting for everyone."