SHOCKING NEWS: coming live from Fabrizio Romano, “that was a penalty Liverpool should have been awarded the penalty but that’s football we happy we got away with a point”. In a rare display of exceptionally good sportsmanship, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty.
During the Liverpool vs Manchester City match in the Premier League, Peter Drury commented on the reason VAR denied Liverpool a penalty for a late challenge on Alexis Mac Allister. Jeremy Doku’s boot made contact with Mac Allister’s chest after the City winger initially touched the ball in stoppage time of the second half. Despite the Reds’ vigorous appeals for a late penalty, referee Michael Oliver did not consider the incident a foul, and VAR did not intervene.
Peter Drury, providing commentary for Sky Sports, shared VAR’s decision, stating, “Word from the VAR, Doku played it in a reasonable position.”
Anfield witnessed yet another thrilling encounter between Manchester City and Liverpool on Sunday, March 10. The Cityzens took the lead when center-back John Stones connected with Kevin De Bruyne’s corner kick in the 23rd minute. Liverpool capitalized on an opportunity early in the second half as Nathan Ake’s poor back-pass to Ederson led to a foul on Darwin Nunez and a conceded penalty. Alexis Mac Allister converted the penalty in the 50th minute to level the scores.
In the second half, Liverpool pressed City aggressively, with Nunez and Diaz creating numerous chances, but they failed to take the lead. City also had their opportunities, with Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden hitting the woodwork. Despite the intense battle, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving the Anfield faithful disappointed, especially considering the denied penalty appeal for Doku’s challenge on Mac Allister.
During the 1-1 draw between Manchester City and Liverpool, manager Pep Guardiola and star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne engaged in a heated exchange on the sidelines. Guardiola’s decision to substitute De Bruyne for Mateo Kovacic in the 69th minute seemed to irk the Belgian midfielder. De Bruyne openly displayed his discontent when he saw his number being called for substitution. Before leaving the field, De Bruyne and Guardiola exchanged heated words on the touchline.
Guardiola later explained to beIN Sports that the substitution was purely tactical, stating, “Yeah. I like it, I like it. He’s happy now. I like it that he was upset. He has a chance next game to prove how wrong I was.”
The draw between the two title contenders was particularly beneficial for Arsenal, who maintained their lead in the Premier League standings.
