Manchester City fans wave inflatable bananas at Anfield during 3-0 win over Liverpool on matchday 6

Manchester City supporters waved inflatable bananas at Anfield during their 3-0 victory over Liverpool on matchday 6 of the 2026-27 Premier League, a gesture that organisers and observers said carried historical significance beyond its apparent provocation.

The tradition traces back to the late 1980s when a supporter named Frank Newton fashioned a fake banana in the stands during a home game against Plymouth Argyle at the former Maine Road stadium in 1987-88. The prop referenced striker Imre Varadi, who scored 31 goals in 81 games and was nicknamed "Imre Banana" by fans. City’s decline at that time prompted supporters to adopt gallows humour, with chants for Varadi and the banana motif becoming a recurring feature. One account holds that on Boxing Day that season as many as 10,000 fans attended an away match against Stoke City carrying bananas.

The banana custom developed against a broader backdrop of unrest in English football, when large crowds and violent incidents were common and hooliganism led to punitive measures for clubs. The subsequent ban on several teams’ European participation followed the Heysel incident in 1985, in which 39 people were killed during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus Turin.

Contemporary explanations for the banana display vary. One version presented after the match described the prop as originally intended to lift spirits at difficult matches; another emerged amid the present-day rivalry, after Manchester City’s star-studded side entered the field and some Liverpool supporters booed Erling Haaland and other City players. Banners at the ground also referred to the club’s numerous financial breaches.

A posted clip circulating from the fixture captured the stadium atmosphere, saying: "Liverpool fans boo the City players, the City fans boo the PL anthem. 'We know what you are' from the Kop, a Poznan in the away end. It's had the lot!" Outside the stadium, tensions continued, with supporters on both sides exchanging insults and gestures; as the team van arrived, Liverpool fans were recorded shouting, "You cheating b*stards, you know exactly what you are."

A social post accompanying images from the match framed the banana display as a throwback, stating: "Manchester City's fans pay homage to their days in the lower leagues of English football by bringing out the inflatable banana's at Anfield 🍌." The match finished 3-0 to Manchester City.