Manchester City's victory at Anfield was full of emotions. Szoboszlai opened the scoring for Liverpool with a direct free kick, but the home team allowed the equalizer, with Bernardo Silva finishing after a header assist from Haaland. In stoppage time, Haaland himself seemed to seal the game by converting a penalty, making it 2-1. However, the drama was far from over. With goalkeeper Alisson in the opposing area, Rayan Cherki attempted to score from long range into the empty net. As the ball headed towards the goal line, Haaland and Szoboszlai, in a tussle, pulled each other's shirts. VAR intervened, referee Craig Pawson disallowed the goal, and sent off the Liverpool player. At the end of the match, the Norwegian forward expressed solidarity with his opponent. "Of course the referee had to follow the rules, but this will give him a three-match suspension. In the end, I feel bad for him," the former Dortmund player told Sky Sports, adding: "Give the goal, don’t show the red card. It’s that simple. These are the rules and it is what it is," he stated. The match referee, Craig Pawson, justified his decision on the field: "Upon review, there is a reckless foul by Erling Haaland, who pulls Dominik Szoboszlai's shirt. Before that, Szoboszlai commits an infraction by grabbing an opponent, denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. The final decision is a direct free kick for Manchester City and a red card," he explained. For his part, commentator Gary Neville criticized the VAR intervention. "We live to see games like this. I’m a fan of VAR, but this just killed the joy. The reason fans watch football is for the entertainment and for moments like that," he declared. With this dramatic victory, Pep Guardiola's team reignites their title challenge, now sitting six points behind leaders Arsenal.
Manchester City Liverpool remains central to this story.
Manchester City Liverpool remains central to this story.
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