Ex-Fifa official issues verdict after analysing controversial De Bruyne footage from Man City
Keith Hackett has heaped praise on Craig Pawson for his performance as Man City beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday (15 January).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee picked out the “really good” advantage he applied in the build-up to Kevin De Bruyne’s “world-class” goal that decided the game.
De Bruyne rode a foul from N’Golo Kane as he dribbled towards the Chelsea goal as Pawson played advantage.
He then unleashed a strike into Kepa Arizibalaga’s bottom left-hand corner to extend City’s lead over Chelsea to 13 points.
Liverpool are sandwiched between the two clubs at the top of the Premier League, 11 points behind the current Premier League champions.
“I don’t want to underscore the referee’s performance because it was good,” Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“His mobility is improving and I think that is benefitting him by making more accurate decisions and looking more confident.
“He applied a really good advantage for the goal. That reflected the behaviour of the players of both teams who were on their best behaviour. Credit to them, they just wanted to play football, they didn’t want to argue with the referee and the referee didn’t give them cause to argue.
“It was a really good game of football, it was a good watch. De Bruyne’s goal was world-class, he’s a really special player.”
De Bruyne has now scored six times in 16 Premier League games this term.
The 30-year-old has now made 286 appearances across all competitions for City.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Man City could set a new Premier League record after a £128million financial reveal.