The refereeing in the English Premier League has come under fire again for another performance in the Liverpool vs Manchester City draw on Sunday.
The Reds and the Cityzens met in a top-of-the-league clash. It was the last dance between Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, because the Liverpool manager would be saying goodbye to Anfield at the end of the season.
They both had to settle for a 1 – 1 draw just like they did back in November 2023, settling the debate that both teams are equally matched. They also played high intensity football, with City having to abandon their main philosophy to focus on counterattacks.
It was an end to end match with lots of physical and tactical battles going on among the players. One of those sequences saw Manchester City winger stomp Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in the penalty area with a high boot. The referee and the VAR did not give the penalty.
At the blast of the final whistle, Klopp was as angry as his fans and players, but maintained a cool head. When asked about the incident, the German tactician said: “It was 100% penalty. They will find an explanation. It was 100% foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card.
“All the people with iPads around me were ‘wow, clear’. Maybe they can hide behind the phrase it is not clear and obvious. It is of course a penalty but we didn’t get it and that is fine.”
Klopp, however, did not fail to point out the positives in the game after seeing his thin squad push a full strength Man City to their limits. “The most important thing for me is that we can play football like that. I saw so many sensational performances today,” the German added.
Premier League journalist Alex Keble, meanwhile, wrote about how the full-time score was the perfect end to the match that had become the Premier League’s most iconic fixture.
“It was a vignette that captured not just the fire and the fury of a breathless, brilliant match at Anfield, but of every single Klopp versus Guardiola battle that came before it,” Keble wrote.
“It was a fitting finale. The perfect end to an iconic Premier League fixture.
“The technical ability, speed, physicality, and drama that Man City versus Liverpool has sustained over the years is unprecedented and unparalleled – and today’s match was one of the very best. It will be sorely missed,” he added.
