MANCHESTER // The sense of anticipation was tangible among the crowds walking towards Manchester City's stadium - officially Eastlands, now unofficially Middle Eastlands - from Piccadilly Station. Even the familiar slate grey skies of the city gave way to blue, a little more like Abu Dhabi than Manchester as the sun shone for once on north-western England. The atmosphere was festive as fans thronged the streets. At Eastlands, venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, even the stadium arches seemed to bow and smile.
That Liverpool were earlier in the day playing Manchester United, typically one of the biggest games of the season, was seen as a minor irrelevance, at least until the champions United lost. Then it began to mean a lot. Regular haunts of the City fans were a sea of light blue as the faithful massed with their inflatable bananas (no one is sure quite why) and, among other accoutrements, home-made dishdashas.
The takeover of Man City by investors led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, which has still to be formalised, has dominated the British media since it was announced a little under two weeks ago. The attention-grabbing signing of the Brazilian striker Robinho for a record £32million (Dh213m) took the breath away. So did his early goal in a sky blue shirt, though the dream start suffered a reality check as City's opponents, Chelsea, a club with its own Abu Dhabi connections thanks to Etihad sponsorship, rallied to finish as comfortable 3-1 winners.
Before the game, Man City's manager Mark Hughes and the fans had done little to conceal their delight at recent developments, and the promise they bring. "This has been one of the most exciting couple of weeks of my life," said Mark Mason, 46, a fan since boyhood and a season ticket holder along with his partner Abi. "It has been unbelievable. I had been looking forward to the season all summer, hoping that we might do something, but this has been incredible.