9月30日，据24直播网报道，The Athletic分析称，曼城的不当行为对利物浦造成的损失最为严重，任何形式的赔偿都无法完全弥补。

That July in Boston, within the confines of Fenway Park's principal official sanctum, the Liverpool chairperson, Werner, reminisced about the European Champions League victory seven weeks prior in Madrid. It was a triumph that came after nearly nine years of stewardship at Fenway, during which the club had secured just one League Cup. Yet, it was the triumph under Klopp's guidance that finally crowned Liverpool as champions. The 2-0 triumph over Tottenham in the final not only alleviated the sting of a one-point deficit from the Premier League championship but also elevated Liverpool to the pinnacle of English top-flight football with a record 97 points, a mark that stands as the highest points total for the runners-up in the league's history. With an impressive 38 matches played and only one defeat, Liverpool's resilience was matched only by Manchester City's scintillating league campaign, which culminated in a 14-game unbeaten streak and the lifting of the championship trophy.

在讨论是否构成一场公正对决的过程中，人们开始关注英超四个月前对曼城涉嫌违反财政公平原则所进行的正式审查。面对关于规则执行是否公正的提问，沃纳向The Athletic透露了他的担忧之情：“确实存在忧虑。我们坚定地拥护财政公平政策，这一点并非秘密。一旦发现违规行为，我们期待看到相应的惩罚措施。所有人都应当以极高的透明度来遵守这些规定。”

在2011年7月，曼城宣布与阿提哈德航空签订了一份价值4亿英镑的创纪录赞助合约之际，利物浦的资深投资者亨利在推特上提问：“失败的报价是多少？”阿提哈德航空当时由与曼城老板曼苏尔同父异母的兄弟出任主席。利物浦在2010年被芬威集团收购时，欧足联关于俱乐部需遵守收支平衡的原则成为核心议题。亨利在2014年表达了他的观点：“我们面临的最大难题是财政公平规则的被忽视，这极大地加剧了竞争的难度。”

In 2014, when Manchester City was penalized with a mere fine of 17 million euros for failing to comply with the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, Fenway was disheartened. Fast forward to February 2020, when UEFA imposed a two-season ban on City's participation in the Champions League, Fenway felt that UEFA had finally shown its teeth. However, five months later, the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, leaving Fenway feeling disillusioned, believing that City had narrowly escaped due to technicalities. Klopp at the time commented, "I think it's not a good day for football. FFP is meant to safeguard teams and competition; otherwise, the wealthiest individuals or nations could act with impunity."

在2021-2022赛季，利物浦的遗憾再次显现，仅以微弱劣势，与曼城相隔一分的差距，屈居联赛第二。自2023年2月起，曼城因涉嫌100多项违规行为而陷入漫长的调查中，这一过程让芬威集团的高层领导们感到愈发焦虑。

在上周五，据The Athletic报道，曼城面临的大部分指控被证实有效。到了周一，英超联赛官方确认了这一裁决。调查结果显示，从2009年到2018年，曼城与商业合作伙伴之间存在“伪造的合同”，以及“夸大收入和低报成本”的行为，总金额超过9亿英镑。这一结果正如芬威集团所预见的。

在克洛普执教的岁月里，利物浦的伤病问题远超其他任何俱乐部。尽管他们在克洛普时代两次与冠军失之交臂，并在2015-2016赛季的联赛杯决赛中遭遇败北，但更早的2013-2014赛季，罗杰斯领导的球队在赛季终章时被曼城以微弱优势击败，错失了奖杯。2013年夏季，曼城在转会市场上投入了大约9100万英镑，签下了五名新援，这一数字是同期利物浦支出的两倍以上。若曼城当时能够遵守规则，且阵容实力并未如此雄厚，那么杰拉德是否能够实现他梦寐以求的冠军荣耀呢？

在曼城上诉失利、其夺冠赛季的荣誉榜被迫空缺的情况下，有观点认为，这或许会成为一场损害英超信誉的丑闻的完美注脚，正如环法赛对阿姆斯特朗的处理一般。尽管指控仅限于2009至2018年，但曼城后续获得的荣誉与其过去的违规行为紧密相连。在考虑未来可能的惩罚时，包括大规模扣分甚至降级在内的严厉措施都已成为可能选项。考虑到曼城在调查过程中表现出的不合作态度，委员会详细指出，对他们的处罚几乎没有减轻的余地。利物浦是众多向曼城发出法律通知、保留追偿权的英超俱乐部之一，但无论未来能够追回多少，都无法弥补他们所失去的一切。