(Liverpool-Manchester City 1–1) Liverpool equalized on penalty kicks and took a point in the giant clash against Manchester City. Nine minutes into overtime they should have had one more penalty, the experts believe.
Sunday 10 March at 20:42
The short version
- Liverpool and Manchester City played 1-1 in the Premier League, and Arsenal took over the top of the table.
- Referee Michael Oliver did not award a penalty to Liverpool in extra time, which experts react strongly to.
- John Stones and Alexis MacAllister scored the goals in the match.
- After the match, Arsenal lead the Premier League on better goal difference than Liverpool and one point ahead of City.
- Erling Braut Haaland went off the pitch scoreless
Sea view
Then Alexis Mac Allister ended up on the grass in great pain after getting Jéremy Doku’s foot in the chest in City’s 16-metre area.
Referee Michael Oliver did not award a penalty – not even after the situation was checked with VAR. Oliver also never went to the infield TV screen to check.
– It is 100 percent penalty, says Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp to Viaplay after seeing the situation again.
– Maybe they (the referees and VAR) are hiding behind the phrase that it is not “clear and obvious”, says Klopp to the BBC.
See the situation at the top of the case!
Sky Sports expert Gary Neville and former Premier League referee Mike Dean also believe that Mac Allister should have received a penalty.
– Doku is very lucky. I thought he was in trouble, says former Manchester United defender Neville.
– I think it’s a penalty kick, concludes Dean on Sky Sports.
City manager Pep Guardiola claimed that he had not seen the situation and did not want to comment after the match.
In Viaplay’s studio, the experts are also in agreement about the incident.
– We have concluded that Mac Allister hits the ball first, and then there is a clear stamp right in the chest. A huge mistake by the refereeing team. It’s a penalty kick, says former Premier League player Brede Hangeland.
The explanation from VAR, according to Viaplay, is that this is perceived as an “unavoidable contact”.
– A new term for me. It’s not “inevitable”, he can catch the ball before he bounces. He can conclude that “this is not my ball” and not lift his foot, says Hangeland.
– Judge (Michael) Oliver may be a little hidden behind (Andrew) Robertson, it is difficult to say exactly. They have that tool here, and when they don’t take the time to look at it, it’s a big scandal. Liverpool are being cheated here, says Viaplay expert Pål-André Helland.
The result means that Arsenal tops the Premier League table ahead of Liverpool and City. Martin Ødegaard’s team is a point behind Liverpool, but ahead on goal difference and has one more point than Erling Braut Haaland’s City in third place.
John Stones sent Manchester City into the lead after a practiced corner variation midway through a first half which the reigning league champions dominated.
After the break, the picture of the match changed completely: An energetic Liverpool team made City rumble. The digital clock had just struck 46 minutes when Ederson fouled Darwin Núñez inside the 16-yard box after a hopeless play-back from Nathan Aké.
The punishment was obvious. From the 11-yard mark, Mac Allister curled the ball into the goal, further igniting an already very loud Anfield crowd.
ROAR OF JOY: Manager Jürgen Klopp fired up the Liverpool crowd. Photo: Carl Recine / Reuters
Soon after, Ederson had to leave with an injury that he sustained in the penalty situation.
The fight was already dramatic. In the minutes that followed, Liverpool continued to run over Haaland and his teammates. Diaz and Nunez both had great chances, but substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno saved City.
At the opposite end, Haaland fought a tough duel with, among others, Virgil van Dijk. The Norwegian only came up with a single opportunity during the match, when he pulled free from the Liverpool captain and shot in the middle of the last chance Caoimhin Kelleher.
Photo: Jon Super / AP / NTB
Photo: Jon Super / AP / NTB
Photo: PAUL ELLIS / AFP / NTB
Photo: Jon Super / AP / NTB
Foto: Peter Byrne / Pa Photos / NTB
On the sidelines, Pep Guardiola saw his team almost disintegrate. 20 minutes before the end, the City manager therefore took an unusual step. The number 17 suddenly appeared on the assistant referee’s light board.
Superstar Kevin De Bruyne was replaced. The Belgian hardly understood anything. After being replaced by Mateo Kovacic, the cameras caught De Bruyne and Gurdiola arguing on the bench.
On the field, the drama continued.
- 1–0: Haaland and his teammates cheered for John Stone’s goal in the first half.
1–0: Haaland and his teammates cheered for John Stone’s goal in the first half. Photo: Jon Super / AP / NTB
Photo: Jon Super / AP / NTB
An overview compiled by the statistics service Sofascore for VG shows that City’s starting eleven was far more experienced than Liverpool’s. However, guys like Conor Bradley (20), Jarell Quansah (21) and Harvey Elliott (20) were among the best for a long time.
Luis Diaz was also good. The Colombian was at times enormous with the ball at his feet – except right in front of the goal. Mutters alone with the goalkeeper could have given Liverpool a 2-1 lead after 62 minutes. Soon after, he also wasted another opportunity to score.
MORE EXPERIENCE: Manchester City’s starting eleven had far more games behind them in the Premier League than Liverpool’s. Photo: Sofascore