Ilkay Gundogan says the referee ‘explicitly’ had a message for the players ahead of Liverpool vs Man City. He doesn’t think it was kept to.
Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday – but it wasn’t without its controversy. City thought they’d taken the lead, after all, as Phil.
Foden celebrated wildly when bundling home a loose ball in front of the travelling City fans, only to have his goal rescinded upon a VAR check.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.
It was too ‘soft’, however. Pep Guardiola suggested it was the kind of decision you get against you at Anfield and Ilkay Gundogan echoed that after the game.
“Well, the experience says he’s not so wrong – the experience of the last few years [at Anfield],” he told Viaplay. “The sad thing is that before the game, the referee explicitly mentioned to us that they would not whistle soft fouls.
“Which they did, actually, all 90 minutes. They were very strict. And also in that situation where we scored. The referee is, I don’t know, three or four metres away and has clear vision to it. He thought it’s not a foul, that it’s quite soft. I don’t understand why it has to go back then to the VAR.
“Today they decide it’s against us, several times in the past as well here at Anfield. But it is what it is.”
Referee earns controversy in Liverpool 1-0 Man City
Many pundits have slam Anthony Taylor decision with former City man Richards claiming that the referee should have stuck with his original decision.
Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher expressed a similar view on the referee, with the man in the middle drawing criticism from the former Liverpool defender.
Even Roy Keane echoed Guardiola’s suggestion that perhaps the Anfield crowd had something to do with it.
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