Villa was winning 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Matty Cash in the 37th minute. While adding a second, it seemed Fenandinho pulled back Ollie Watkins. Both the on-pitch referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ignored it.
Steven Gerrard-steered Aston Villa almost shocked the crowd at the Etihad Stadium when they led 2-0 in the 69th minute. After Matty Cash, it was ex- Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho on the scoresheet. The Scousers jumped in delight hearing the update while their match with Wolves was going on. But their hope soon faded away as City scored 3 quickfire goals after conceding their 2nd. Ilkay Gundogan, who came on as a sub bagged a brace to his name. In between, Rodri attempted a long-distance shot that went past Villa keeper for the day, Robin Olsen.
Should VAR have intruded?
Steven Gerrard could do nothing but watch his side collapse in the dying minutes of the game. This result also didn’t help his former team a player Liverpool, who eventually lost the title race by a point. But when they were leading by a goal, had Fernandinho been penalized, the situation could’ve been different, who knows.
Fernandinho rushed the ball back to Ederson when City just got behind in the game. Watkins closed down Ederson to snatch the ball but Fernandinho pulled him back hindering his run. Both referee and VAR felt it was not a foul and ignored the same.
With a goal ahead and a send-off for Man City, things could potentially swing in their favor. Also, there’s not much proof to suggest that it was not a foul. Clearly, Watkins running behind Fernanadinho caused problems for the 37-year-old Brazilian. More when he doesn’t have the pace to trackback the young striker it was necessary to commit a foul for his side.
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