It was an eventful evening at the Etihad yesterday with Manchester City stealing a last-minute victory against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for Manchester City with a right-footed shot just seven minutes into the clash. However, the lead did not last long for the hosts as Aston Villa were awarded a penalty in the 16th minute, which Marcus Rashford converted.
Rúben Dias conceded a penalty after committing a foul on Jacob Ramsey in the penalty area. A spot kick was not initially awarded to the visitors by referee Craig Pawson. However, VAR John Brooks made the call for Pawson to take a second look at the monitor, after which the referee decided to overrule himself and awarded a penalty to Aston Villa.
A replay of Dias’ challenge was displayed on the big screen at the Etihad as the home crowd as well as Man City head coach Pep Guardiola were seen unhappy and angry at the decision.
The Catalan manager also received a yellow card, his fourth of the season, for his complaints. Later, the Premier League released a statement, explaining VAR’s call about the penalty.
“VAR checked the referee’s call of no penalty to Aston Villa for a challenge by Dias on Ramsey – and deemed there was a clear trip and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned the original decision and awarded a penalty to Aston Villa,” the Premier League Match Centre wrote.
City had the last laugh as Matheus Nunes scored the winning goal for City after being set up by Jérémy Doku with a cross in the 94th minute.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
What did Pep Guardiola say about Man City’s win against Aston Villa?
While it was an important win against Aston Villa that will help Man City in their objective of qualifying for the Champions League next season, Guardiola seemed (comments via BBC Sport) to be already focused on their upcoming games.
City are set to face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, April 27, at Wembley Stadium.
“You don’t have to be a scientist to realise that we were playing against Aston Villa, one of the best teams, as you saw against Newcastle and PSG. They are an extraordinary team but we performed as we did in the past with the commitment,” said Guardiola.
“Qualification for the Champions League is important, of course, but sometimes we have to be calm. We must focus on the semi-final and after we have days to prepare for the four ‘finals’. Two at home, two away,” he added.
With the win over Aston Villa, City are currently third in the Premier League table with 61 points in 34 matches.
Manchester City related news and links
