Pep Guardiola takes aim at Liverpool decision and blames two Man City stars for defeat

Pep Guardiola says he was happy with the way his team performed in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool but hit out at referee decision and criticised two of his players for their role in the winner.

City thought they had taken the lead earlier in the second half. Phil Foden squeezed the ball into the net from a tight angle after good work from Erling Haaland.

However, VAR recommended referee Anthony Taylor to review an incident involving Haaland and Fabinho. Taylor deemed the Norway striker to have fouled Fabinho in the build-up and the goal was ruled out.

Asked what he thought of the decision, Guardiola told beIN Sport: “It’s Anfield. It’s Anfield.”

Guardiola insisted Taylor let a lot of fouls go during the 90 minutes but bemoaned the fact Foden’s effort was disallowed. He added: “Do you know how many fouls there were in the game? Do you know how many? A lot. It’s one more.

Though he felt Liverpool’s goal was avoidable, he was pleased with his team’s efforts throughout.

“We conceded a goal because of a mistake, and we didn’t follow the transition,” said Pep.

“Alisson plays it out quick, Kevin didn’t follow, and Joao lost the duel – it is always so difficult against Salah with the way he uses his body.

“This is something we have to learn for future tight games against Liverpool, but the way we played, the performance and the courage we played with was fantastic.”

“In the FA Cup semi-final and the Community Shield it was so soft (the manner of defeat) and it’s a case of if they shout loud, we have to shout louder; if they run, we have to run more, otherwise in this stadium, it’s impossible.

“We handled it, we did it, but football is football – it happens.

“We had six or seven chances. They made transitions but it was a tight game – it is always a tight game against Liverpool – but at this level, you cannot concede a mistake.

“We lost because we made a mistake against one of the best teams in the world.

“They have played three Champions League finals in the past five years or so and they are an exceptional team that I admire a lot.

“The margins are tight and after they scored the goal, it was the real Anfield. Before this it was calm, but after, they were a real handful.”