Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was angry when the VAR review chalked off the goal scored by Phil Foden against Liverpool. The Citizens lost their first league game of the season when they fell 0-1 to the Reds.
The competition for the Premier League title is taking an interesting twist. The favourites for the title are not hitting the right notes and are some way off league leaders Arsenal. Manchester City and Liverpool were favourites to make a run for the title while leaving Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal to fight for a place in the top four.
The analysis has not gone to script, with Arsenal, the in-form team topping the table and title favourites Man City and Liverpool struggling to keep pace with them. The Europa League has not slowed Arsenal down, but Liverpool and Manchester City seem to be feeling the heat of playing in the Champions League.
On Sunday afternoon, Liverpool and Manchester City took to the pitch, with both teams looking to close the gap on Arsenal. The Gunners had created a four-point gap ahead of Man City after their 1-0 win over Leeds United. The Citizens lost to Liverpool 0-1, but Guardiola has focused more on the Phil Foden goal that VAR disallowed.
Guardiola furious at VAR
Manchester City lost more ground on Arsenal on Sunday after falling to the might of Liverpool at Anfield. The Reds have been struggling this season but seemed to find answers to the questions from Manchester City. They silenced the rampaging Erling Haaland and secured a win over the defending champions.
The focus has been on the Phil Foden goal that VAR chucked out for an infringement of Fabinho. The VAR call left Man City manager Pep Guardiola furious. The Spanish manager could not understand why the goal was disallowed and was angry at the decision.
VAR controversially denied Man City what could have been the opening goal. The decision to chuck out the goal followed a review that showed Erling Haaland tugging to the floor shortly before Foden put the ball past Joe Gomez, who was covering the goal line. Man City thought they had gotten the lead, but the VAR review reversed the initial decision.
A furious Guardiola kept fuming while speaking to beIN SPORTS. The Spaniard seemed to believe the odds favour Liverpool at Anfield as he kept saying it’s Anfield. He also asked if the beIN SPORTS crew knew how many fouls there were in the game.
It’s advantage, Arsenal.
With the Arsenal/Manchester City tie in midweek postponed, it’s an advantage to Arsenal as the Gunners have opened a four-point lead over the Citizens. Manchester City had hoped to get a win at Anfield to keep within touching distance of the Gunners. A furious Guardiola is not happy about the latest development. It is the second time Haaland has failed to score against Liverpool.
The win at Anfield should give Liverpool some confidence after a slow start, including the loss to league leaders Arsenal last week. It was a vital win for Jurgen Klopp and the first league defeat of the season for Man City. Mo Salah got the only goal of the game as he expertly took his chance in the second half.
The decision by VAR has left many people divided, with some believing it was a good goal and should have stood, while others argue it was a foul and the correct decision by the referee.
