Gianluigi Donnarumma got it wrong confronting Liverpool fans over “cheat” accusation

Gianluigi Donnarumma made headlines after confronting Liverpool fans in the stands who called him a “cheat”.

The Italian goalkeeper returned from the tunnel to chastise a section of Reds supporters in the aftermath of Manchester City’s 3-0 win at Anfield on Sunday.

The Sky Blues secured the lion’s share of the points after capitalising on Ryan Gravenberch’s second yellow card with a 13-minute blitz at L4.

Gianluigi Donnarumma and Man City need to take their medicine

You can understand why Manchester City players and Enzo Maresca are keen to separate themselves from the independent commission’s guilty verdict.

It’s not their money nor their allegedly illicit activity that has funded the City project. However, it is their quality – enabled by the foundation of such illicit activity – that has allowed the Sky Blues to be a competitive outfit at the top of English and European football for well over a decade now.

Donnarumma himself has been part of a City side that completed a domestic cup double, lifting both the FA Cup and League Cup in Pep Guardiola’s final season in charge.

Whether the former PSG star likes it or not, his hands are a little dirty as a byproduct. His hands have gripped tainted silverware that could yet be stricken from the club’s record.

The 27-year-old shouldn’t be held personally responsible for City’s ills, but he and his colleagues should be far from surprised by the outpouring of rage that will now be commonplace in English football whenever Manchester City are involved.

The Premier League needs to deliver closure imminently

Consider this a taster of what to expect in the coming months.

But the biggest threat to the Premier League isn’t this inevitable outpouring of emotion; it’s the rapidly impending apathy that will overshadow the English top-flight.

Because while Donnarumma’s City continues to sweep all aside and sit at the top of the Premier League table while boldly asserting its own innocence, rival fans are left with no choice other than to question what exactly the point of all this is.

Why should any of us care about a product that allows Manchester City to carry on, post-verdict, as if nothing had happened?

Forget fixing this mess before City inevitably win silverware later this season. The Premier League needs to deliver sanctions with immediate effect and restore faith in their product.