Pundits slams Anthony Taylor decision after Man City goal disallowed vs Liverpool FC

Manchester City saw Phil Foden’s goal ruled out by VAR for a foul from Erling Haaland on Fabinho in the build-up as champions lost 1-0 at Anfield

Foden celebrated wildly when bundling home a loose ball in front of the travelling City fans, only to have his goal rescinded upon a VAR check.

Referee Anthony Taylor was advised to look back at an incident in the build-up where teammate Erling Haaland appeared to pull Fabinho’s shirt, and in doing so dispossessed the Brazilian.

City scored from the resulting play but upon reflection Taylor opted to reverse the initial decision to give a free-kick.

A packed Anfield roared with approval, while Guardiola on the City touchline waved his hands around like he was trying to catch the last bus home. By the end of the game, which Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to Mohamed Salah’s delightful breakaway goal, Guardiola’s counterpart Jurgen Klopp had been sent off for abusing the officials.

And after the game Pep Guardiola claimed Anfield is able to sway refereeing decisions by its intimidating atmosphere alone.

“This is Anfield, every time you come here lately unfortunately this is Anfield,” Guardiola said.

“The referee said play on, playon, play on, there were a thousand million fouls like this and this one is because we scored a goal.

“So they disallowed because we scored a goal, otherwise it would not have been disallowed.

“We lost because we make a mistake but this is Anfield. The crowd tried [to throw coins/objects] but they didn’t touch me. Maybe next time they will be better.”

Taylor also came under criticism from former City man Richards, with the Sky Sports pundit claiming that the referee should have stuck with his original decision.

“The decision, if you look at Fabinho, he’s already going down, the referee has given that decision,” he said. “Why not stay with your original decision? On the evidence, for me, that’s re-refereeing the game, in my opinion.

“I don’t think that’s clear and obvious if I’m being totally, totally honest. It’s very close. Liverpool deserved it [the win], I just think these crucial moments, you slow it down, if you put it in normal pace Fabinho is already going down.”

Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher expressed a similar view on the referee, with the man in the middle drawing criticism from the former Liverpool defender.

“I thought Anthony Taylor, throughout the game, let a lot go ,” Carragher said. “I want to see that from a referee. In his position, I can see why he hasn’t given it but the one angle where on VAR it looks like a game-changing moment.”

As Bernardo Silva also claimed after the game, Taylor had been willing to oversee a few contentious incidents on Merseyside.

“What we expect from the referees is consistency in their decisions and when you go on a path of not whistling little contacts throughout the whole game, you need to keep those decisions and keep going that way,” Silva said.

“If you want to whistle all of them, whistle all of them. But if from the beginning of the game you’re not whistling little fouls and we saw in this game that he was letting us play – which is good, which is fine – then if there is a goal you cannot whistle that for a soft one.

“If you want consistency from the referee you can’t change just because it was a goal and a tough decision, you have to make the tough decision and keep the goal, in my opinion.”

Carragher agrees with Silva | ‘Slow motion makes it look worse’

“I agreed with everything Bernardo Silva said. The referee did let a lot go and that’s exactly what we want to see and why everyone around the world will be talking about this game.

“There weren’t lots of goals but it was end to end. It was a brilliant game but that’s why the referee let it go because he’d done that all game.

“I don’t think it should be a question of the referee, it’s VAR Darren England. The referee didn’t blow his whistle because he’d let a lot go, then he’s been sent to the monitor. You can say he should be strong.

“When you look at it in slow motion it looks worse. It’s a 50-50 one. There is a shirt tug, whether Fabinho was going down already only Fabinho knows.”

As for Roy Keane, he echoed Guardiola’s suggestion that perhaps the Anfield crowd had something to do with it.

“He’s at Anfield there. He’s looking at VAR at Anfield, and with the home crowd he’s getting plenty of advice,” Keane said.

“You’re asking a Man City player or a Liverpool player, they’re going to give you a different answer. Silva’s not going to say he thinks it’s a foul.

“Of course you want players to be aggressive and make tackles, but if you slow it down which is what VAR does he does get a grip of his jersey.

“We want the referee to play on [but] again he’s almost questioning himself. City will be disappointed, Liverpool will say he got the right decision. That’s the problem with VAR when you look back at these decisions, it’s frustrating.

“And it’s tough on the referees because they’re being asked to look at it. He let it go but of course then gets a message saying ‘you better have a look at this’.”

Manchester City have no midweek fixture, meaning their next outing is on Saturday when Brighton travel to the Etihad Stadium, with kick-off at 3pm.