Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his anger towards referee Michael Oliver following controversial moments in City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal. Guardiola was particularly upset over Arsenal’s opening goal, which came after a quickly taken free-kick while City’s right-back, Kyle Walker, was out of position due to being summoned by the referee.
Arsenal’s Controversial Goal
The incident unfolded when Oliver called Walker to speak to him during a stoppage, leaving City’s defense vulnerable. Arsenal capitalized on this by quickly taking a free-kick, leading to Riccardo Calafiori curling the ball into the back of the net. Guardiola was visibly frustrated, kicking a dugout chair in anger after the goal.
Guardiola explained his frustration in the post-match press conference, stating, “When the referee says ‘come and talk to me,’ players should be allowed to return to their positions before the game resumes.” Despite Walker managing to get back into position moments before the goal, the damage had already been done.
City’s Response
City’s anger didn’t stop there. They were also upset about Arsenal’s attempts to slow the game down, with several players feigning cramp to waste time. Midfielder Bernardo Silva expressed his frustration, stating that Arsenal were playing “to the limits of what was possible” and that City was the only team trying to play football.
Despite these frustrations, City managed to salvage a point with a late equalizer by John Stones in the 98th minute. However, the contentious decisions left Guardiola contemplating future tactics, suggesting that he may instruct his players to ignore the referee in similar situations.
