Noel Gallagher has recalled how his experience of watching one Liverpool match had him threatening to sack members of his band.
In an interview with The Athletic, the die-hard Manchester City fan stated that many of his High Flying Birds bandmates support the Reds, and how one particular game between the two clubs led to him implementing a rule which had stood ever since.
The 57-year-old said: “When the rivalry first started, before the arrival of Guardiola, we watched the games together. And then one night — I think it was the Champions League quarter-final [3-0 to Liverpool in 2018] — it got a bit out of hand.
“The Scousers celebrated a little too much and a little too close to my personal space. And I was like, ‘I will f***ing fire someone here’. So now we watch the games separately and we’re not allowed to mention it.”
Gallagher’s anecdote summarises just how intense the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City has become over the past decade.
Prior to the two clubs vying for the Premier League title in 2014 and later going head-to-head in some epic battles under Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, the two fanbases would’ve shared common ground in a mutual dislike of a certain team from Old Trafford.
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Indeed, numerous players have represented both sides in modern times (Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, David James, Nicolas Anelka, Didi Hamann and more), but aside from the notable example of James Milner, most of those pre-date City’s rise to becoming habitual league champions.
By the time we eliminated the Manchester outfit from the Champions League with that scintillating quarter-final triumph six years ago, the rivalry had reached unpleasant levels of toxicity, and the temperature has subsequently risen even further.
Maybe it’s for the best that Gallagher now gives the Liverpool-supporting members of his band a wide berth when the two teams play each other!
