Manchester City star Rodri has hit out at VAR following his side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday evening. The midfielder scored a late equaliser at the Etihad Stadium to rescue a draw for his side, though he was left confused by the level of officiating on the night.
Speaking after the match, Rodri moaned that City did not get any VAR reviews go their way after having a late penalty appeal for a handball against Levi Colwill waved away by referee Andrew Madley, which those in Stockley Park agreed with.
The Spain international told Match of the Day: “It was in our hands and we have to do better individual actions and you can’t let the game go this way. I’m not blaming anyone but we have to take responsibility if we want to win the league.
“We had chances to win and I felt the momentum but sometimes it’s a bit frustrating and the ball doesn’t go in. I don’t want to talk about the referee, but I don’t remember a game with so many VAR checks and none for us, come on man. You always see the face of the referee and it’s now ‘move on, move on’.
“There’s still a long way until the end of the season. We have to win against Brentford. We were on a very good run and we know none of us three [City, Liverpool and Arsenal] will win every game until the end. We have to have strong mentality and move on to the next one.”
After witnessing Arsenal and Liverpool cruise to victories earlier in the day, the pressure was on City to match the feats of their fellow title challengers on Saturday. However, former City player Raheem Sterling looked set to spoil the party.
The England international curled into the bottom corner in the 42nd minute to give the Blues an unlikely lead. Nicolas Jackson played a key role in the goal, winning the ball back on the half-way line before racing down the wing and crossing to his team-mate.
Pochettino’s side had chances to double their lead, with Jackson wasting several big opportunities to kill the game. City flew out from the gates after the half-time break, with Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden able to have a bigger influence on the game.
Erling Haaland could have bagged a hat-trick with the openings created for him, though it was Rodri who was on hand to equalise. The Spain international smashed his effort into the back of the net after a cross was deflected his way in the 83rd minute, though City failed to complete the comeback late on and were forced to settle for a point.
