Ex-Premier League referee on possible Phil Foden injustice as controversial Man City image emerges
Anthony Taylor was right to disallow Phil Foden’s goal as Man City lost 1-0 to Liverpool on Sunday (16 October), according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee praised Taylor for allowing the game to flow but he had no choice but to chalk Foden’s goal off for Erling Haaland’s foul in the build-up.
Haaland won the ball back from Fabinho by pulling his shirt and it fell to Bernardo Silva who launched a Man City attack.
The ball was eventually played into Haaland but it fell to Foden who finished from a tight angle.
“The end result was that we had a thoroughly entertaining game from start to finish,” Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“I think the referee contributed to that by not being pedantic and adopting what the Premier League want by keeping the game moving and flowing.
“With that, the difficulty is if you review it technically you can say ‘That’s a foul, he didn’t award that’. The reality is that he sees the fouls but he’s happy to allow an advantage and keep the game flowing without penalising every free-kick.
“The important thing is balance. Overall, he achieved that balance across the 90 minutes.
“You know I’ve been critical of VAR but in the checking process for Man City’s goal, they could not fail to recognise that’s a free-kick for pulling an opponent’s shirt.
“He doesn’t necessarily have to apply force to commit an offence. He’s committed an offence by holding his shirt.
“The decision to disallow the goal was the correct one.”
In other news, Pep Guardiola is set for an FA punishment after a controversial Man City reveal.