Man City fans boo Premier League anthem as team goes six clear

The atmosphere at Etihad Stadium reached a boiling point as Manchester City supporters made their feelings abundantly clear during their first top-flight home match since the club was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations. Tens of thousands of fans inside the venue erupted into boos and jeers the moment the official league anthem played over the loudspeakers shortly before kick-off, swiftly drowning it out with loud chants.

Adding a surreal visual element to the afternoon, hundreds of inflatable bananas were placed on seats across the home sections for fans to wave throughout the match. This yellow craze harks back to a light-hearted fan phenomenon from the late 1980s in English football. Amidst the jeering and the waving inflatables, Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 19th minute—his first goal of 2026—before Erling Haaland added a double to seal the victory.

Manager Enzo Maresca, who became the first boss in Premier League history to win his opening seven matches in charge, reflected on the defiant environment after watching his side triumph in front of a record-breaking crowd of 60,817 spectators.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"The environment was very good. The fans, the club and the players are all together on this journey."

Enzo Maresca

The win against Ipswich Town extended City's lead at the summit of the table to six points. Despite off-field turmoil and injury concerns, this marks the club's best start to a league season in 129 years, joining an elite group of historic Premier League starts alongside Chelsea in 2005-06 and Liverpool in 2019-20.