‘The sad thing’: Gundogan shares what Anthony Taylor told City’s players just before kick-off vs Liverpool

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Ilkay Gundogan says the referee ‘explicitly’ had a message for the players ahead of Liverpool v Man City. He doesn’t think it was kept to.

Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday – but it wasn’t without its controversy. City thought they’d taken the lead, after all, as Phil Foden squeezed an effort past Joe Gomez on the line.

VAR intervened, however, deciding there was a foul by Erling Haaland in the buildup. The Norwegian had grabbed Fabinho’s shirt and pulled him down, allowing City a run at the back four.

The visitors felt it was ‘soft’, however. Pep Guardiola suggested it was the kind of decision you get against you at Anfield and Ilkay Gundogan echoed that after the game.

“Well, the experience says he’s not so wrong – the experience of the last few years [at Anfield],” he told Viaplay. “The sad thing is that before the game, the referee explicitly mentioned to us that they would not whistle soft fouls.

“Which they did, actually, all 90 minutes. They were very strict. And also in that situation where we scored. The referee is, I don’t know, three or four metres away and has clear vision to it. He thought it’s not a foul, that it’s quite soft. I don’t understand why it has to go back then to the VAR.

“Today they decide it’s against us, several times in the past as well here at Anfield. But it is what it is.”

Referee earns controversy in Liverpool 1-0 Man City

We’re biased, of course. We admit that. But how on earth is there any controversy around this decision? There’s a major difference between being physical and pulling a player down by his shirt. That’s not physical, nor is it soft to call it a foul.

It’s just a foul.

You can’t pull a player’s shirt full-stop. You certainly can’t do it to take him away from the ball and allow your teammate a run on goal. It’s just all very strange that City are hanging onto this as though there’s any discussion around it.

Fabinho wasn’t ‘already on his way down’ as some have suggested. He had possession of the ball, turning with it and getting ready to move forward. Haaland has a fistful of his shirt and throws his balance off. It was a foul, there was nothing soft about it, and City shouldn’t hold any grievance here.