In the aftermath of Liverpool's dramatic 1-0 win against Manchester City on Sunday night, a frustrated Bernardo Silva asked for consistency from referees in his post-match interview.
It looked like the Premier League's reigning champions had taken a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute when Phil Foden fired home from close range.
City players rushed over to the corner flag to celebrate but seconds later, referee Anthony Taylor consulted VAR and the goal was ruled out after a Erling Haaland shirt-pull on Fabinho in the build-up – a decision that left Pep Guardiola furious.
Mohamed Salah would go on to score the winner for a Liverpool side that moved up to eighth in the Premier League ladder on Sunday evening.
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But the main talking point amongst City players and fans was Foden's disallowed goal.
Pep Guardiola, who claimed coins were thrown at him on the touchline at Anfield, expressed his dissatisfaction at the decision.
“This is Anfield, the referee spoke with my assistants and said he’s not going to make fouls unless they’re clear,” he said after the full-time whistle.
“All game was play on, except the goal we scored and after that, it’s not play on.
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“That is the question, so when the referee decides to speak to the managers, to Jurgen Klopp, to my assistant coach and say ‘I am going to be clear, it happens all the time in that way,’ then you cannot disallow the goal. But if you decide in the first minute fault, fault, fault… But you know, this is Anfield.”
City midfielder Bernardo Silva also took part in a post-match interview, where he slammed the inconsistency surrounding big decisions in the game.
"What we expect from the referees is consistency in the decisions," he told Sky Sports.
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"When you go through a path of not whistling little contacts throughout the whole game you need to keep those decisions and keep going that way. If you want to whistle all of them, whistle all of them.
"If from the beginning of the game you're not whistling little fouls, and we saw it in this game that he was letting us play - which is good, which is fine - then if there is a goal you cannot whistle a soft one.
"If you want consistency from the referee you cannot change just because there is a goal. Just because it's a tough decision you have to make the tough decision and keep the goal."
Silva, of course, has history with Liverpool and their fans.
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Back in 2020, just days after Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon, the Portuguese midfielder called Liverpool fans pathetic before telling them to go 'read a book.'
He wrote: "And to all Liverpool fans that have nothing else to do than to come to a Man City player account, I'm also sorry for you but for the wrong reasons...pathetic... go celebrate your titles, or try to find a partner, drink a beer with a friend, read a book... so many options!"
A day later and he was still going. "I guess reading a book was a bit too much for you," he said. "Maybe just go for a brew."
Thoughts on the disallowed goal? Has Bernardo Silva got a point?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports/Football DailyTopics: Bernardo Silva, Liverpool, Manchester City, Premier League
