The ref clearly got all excited that he saw the touch from Janmaat and feels he’s going to be praised for such a wonderful spot. But in his excitement he’s forgotten the fact that Stirling is interfering with play, you couldn’t really interfere anymore could you? It’s bizarre. And clearly the lino is doing his best to tell him this simple fact and what an absolute numpty he’s going to look. And to the few pundits who back him, pick up you P45 in the morning.
He would have seen Sterling run to the ball and his kicking motion...that would have made him active.
I'm not one to praise VAR as I hate it but I'm pretty sure as the goal wasn't given originally that the 4 yard offside would have been noticed by the VAR refs and the decision confirmed. Just from what I've seen in these other countries using the system (and killing the game). Still, had that not happened, it might have ended up 0-0 and we'd have nothing to discuss in the pub. Which is the worst outcome.
Got to be proud of tbem tonight. We put in a shift even with a depleted side, no embarresment tonight. Players gave it a go and the only real let down tonight was the officials. No way should that Sterling goal of stood. It was poised at 0-0 after 45 and then any game plan we had SH was gone almost immediatly. Great to score at the Eitihad, we deserved that at the very least. Boys can feel proud. We should be proud. There is losing and not trying like Anfield, then there is tonight. Brave, commited even when it was 3-0 we never gave up. Only losing by two hasnt hurt our GD too much. Chelsea can do us a big favor tomorrow by thrashing Wolves. J understand the changes dje to the FA Cup next week. But the lads certainly proved they can conpete against some of the best in the world We move on now. 7th is still well in our sights. Thank you all fans who traveled and a safe trip home.
I know what you’re saying and I agree and if was me on the pitch in my 25 year self I would be doing a Holebas. BUT, the referee picks up on collective anger and soon cards the players showing aggression. And then a red just ****s up the game even more. Javi brings a calming influence. Doesn’t excuse the lack of concentration after the goal tho .. I’m ******* angry but it’s directed st the ref not Javi.
Tierney is one of the best referees in the Premier League. I'm at a loss why he would overrule his linesman. Had it been the other way around the goal would have been disallowed for sure. It's something that often happens to us though, so it's not worth getting angry about. It's frustrating, but we all know it's not a level playing field. Nothing we can do about it though, football is unfair and there is a bias towards the bigger clubs. That part of football will never change and is something you have to accept. I was disappointed how it affected us afterwards though. We just capitulated and handed the game to City. That first goal, instantly led to a 3-0 lead and gave them the match. The first goal is always so important, but I was very disappointed with the way we played for that 20 minute period until Deeney and Deulofeu came on. Gracia should have made the change at 2-0. Only a two goal defeat though, and I'd have taken that before the match. When I saw the line-up I thought it could have been a lot worse. West Ham lost by two goals at Cardiff, so we should put today into perspective. In our race for 7th, that was a tremendous result. Everton provided a lot of comedy value. Throwing away a 2-0 lead, is Silva's forte. Only United away to go now, before we have a string of winnable games.
Liverpool fans moaning about dodgy decisions. Hilarious. Pundits saying it's not offside and trying to justify why. Hilarious. The ref gurning like a toddler with wind. Hilarious. Marco Silva running on the pitch at the final whistle and ranting at the ref til he was told to go away. Hilarious. The lino giving as many offsides with the most extravagant flag waving after the ref's shocker of a decision. Hilarious. At least for one week a loss had a bit of fun about it!
I actually really enjoyed our first half performance. There was something so impressive about how hard the much changed team were working, watching players like Gray and Success be so tactically disciplined and sacrifice their normal game for the team. It was fascinating, we didn't engage them until they were in the final third, rather players were sprinting back to get into their designated space within our shape. Apart from the Aguero chance, they created nothing. The game plan obviously relies on us breaking occasionally and using the ball well, and maybe we could have done better there but it was a masterclass in defending as a team against a potent attack. Time and again, we funneled their players into traffic or away from goal and there was no space between our back four and midfield or down the sides of our centre backs. It was exactly the trick that Gracia pulled off when his Malaga team won 1-0 in the Nou Camp when Messi, Neymar and Suarez were in their pomp. Then we get completely screwed. This is not just a bad decision, it's a disgraceful one. Aguero handballed it to Sterling who forces Janmaat into doing something. Linesman gets it right and Tierney inexplicably overruled him as he was being too clever by half. At that moment, the perfectly executed game plan is gone and to a massive injustice. I don't remotely blame our players for switching off after they'd worked so, so hard. The rest of the game is just pointless.
Angry. Expect to lose to City but they have enough advantages through having a rich benefactor without needing more advantages through a blatantly erroneous referee decision. City were much the better team but we played a great first half and Javi got it spot on tactically. The game was poised at halftime and if we could have held them a bit longer anything could have happened with us throwing on a couple of attacking outlets towards the end as City got more desperate. We would probably have still lost but we’ll never know. I don’t hate City but I hate the big 6, or whatever number it is, with their financial disparity and blatant flouting of the FFP rules. It’s not anywhere near a level playing field but the referee decision today completely tilted the balance even further. Whatever happened to the original European super league idea which I was dead set against initially but now I’d be happy if the big 6 plus Everton just f k ed off to play with the Euro big boys and left the rest of us to get on with some vaguely fair financial rules in a competitive league.
I hope the players get angry and focus that on the next 11 games, culminating in beating Citeh at Wembley in May.
That would be nice, but we won't be allowed to beat City or United if we get them in the final/semi final. This is the way football is. A referee will always find a way to help the bigger side if they require it somewhere along the way. You have to accept the reality of the situation. What happened tonight, happens all the time. I woke up to this years ago.
I agree entirely SLB. The game plan adopted was the one that should also have been rolled out at Anfield. It was executed to a tee reducing Abu Dhabi United to a couple of chances. Only for the plan to be scuppered by another incompetent official. With the mental balance of the team disturbed they quickly score another and it is game over. Nonetheless one has to be proud of the resilience shown to come back and score and hold their heads high. It is hard enough for teams like us to compete with the so called elite (the ones who spend fortunes) without appalling officiating. It makes sense of FIFA's decision not to appoint any English referees at the last World Cup. What is also hilarious is how pundits swing in the wind on the scoring of a goal. Now the bald cheating fraud is a genius once more. Anyone managing Messi, a one club league in Germany is hardly likely to struggle in winning silverware. I wonder how many of those so called fans at the Emptyhad have any sense of shame. Moaning about referee conspiracies complaining when we rolled over at Anfield wrapped up in their own bubble. No such conspiracies today eh ? The same fans who were only moaning a decade ago about the inordinate spending down the road are quite happy to ignore the spending much of it shady to say the least of their new owners or the way the club rides rough shod over other clubs. Clubs like us and clubs abroad like Velez. Let's hope karma is on the way for these charlatans.
Can someone explain to me why Sterling wasn't offside for the SECOND goal! when the pass to Aguero was threaded through he was offside, therefore he gained an advantage enabling him to be in a position to score the 2nd?
Javi has been the best Pozzo signing. He has great values & dignity. I hope he is the hub of the club for a long time.
The brilliant thing about today overall is that we could get absolutely tonked by United in three weeks' time and we'd still be 8th, going into a decent run of fixtures. What a position to be in! West Ham bottling it at Cardiff, Everton properly bottling it at Newcastle; 7th may well be between just us and Jorge FC. And no fresh injuries going into next week either, aside from perhaps Britos who seemed to limp off. It's a shame Janmaat was the one involved in the goal, I thought he had a decent game today all things considered. Another player who looks completely rejuvenated under Javi.
Let's be honest here, they would have won anyway. Blaming that as a turning point is just sour grapes after the fact.
He wasn’t offside because he plays for Man City. That’s the rules. He’s only offside if he doesn’t score or the pass to him is a meaningless one.
You can't buy it. Contrast that with Silva who seemed to spend the majority of his post-match blaming the officials for yet another Everton implosion.
Agree that Holebas/Cathcart/Deeney would have helped but just think. You’ve kept out the best team in the world for 45 mins but then been cheated of a goal by the very active intervention of the referee.
No, he was just telling the ref that it's a game, these things even themselves out over a season and he was looking forward to the debate in the pub with his mates.
You make me wonder whether IBB’s compadre, El Faggo, might not be the owner of that reverred rear end.
If Abu Dhabi United are a cesspit then the stinking old lady of corruption of Juventus are even worse. Rigging competitions and bribing referees for decades. The bald fraud also sees that there will be more acolytes to rub his bald head about how great a manager he is. Serie A at the moment is a one team league. Napoli can never get it together, both Milanese clubs are in a state of flux, Roma flatter to deceive and the rest bob up and down without much of a hope of anything. I repeat once more the man is a fraud. Put Messi into the Watford team and we would finish in the top four and challenge in the cups. That's how good he is. Imagine your luck to be able to have him in your team in a two horse race in La Liga. Then to wander off to the one team Bundesliga and thence wander to another money saturated club. We would all like to see the bald fraud manage at coping with a team like West Ham for instance or Sampdoria for example. But he won't. He also has a shady background with drug bans as a player. I am glad we have Gracia as a coach in terms of his character. A lovable personality, calm and engaging. The only things he needs to work on are his substitutions which can be tardy or changing tactics. Other than that he is quite obviously a thoughtful thinking coach who just gets on with the job thrown at him without complaint. Not moaning about officials or demanding the owners spend another forty or fifty million pounds on another potential flop.
Yes, yes & yes. Rather one dimensional & I suspect his wife buys his clothes. The worst, though, is surely Madrid. The last remaining face of Franco fascism. Some of the bars up there are somewhat unreconstructed.
