Gary Neville laughs at Ake for complaint to ref in Man City ‘siege’ by Liverpool
Nathan Ake’s complaint to the referee as Liverpool overran Man City early was laughed at by Gary Neville after a possible penalty shout.
The incident occurred in the eighth minute of the match as Kop midfielder Dominic Szoboszlai’s shot from outside the box hit the Dutchman on the hand. However, no penalty was awarded to Liverpool as the Citizens’ defender hand was held tight in front of his body.
But the former Man United full-back and commentator Peter Drury were amused that he actively took his issue to referee Chris Kavanagh with a spot kick in question.
A laughing Neville said on Sky Sports (4.08pm): “He’s [Ake] just gone to the referee and said, ‘My wrist is hurting, the ball hit it’.”
Drury replied: “I wondered if he would be that unsubtle”.
“Yeah [but] his hands are tucked in really tight into his body,” Neville said.
Both the pundit and Drury agreed that Liverpool were dominating the match, with Drury describing the situation as a “siege” from the Reds.
Man City will lose Premier League crown to Liverpool this season
Football Insider opinion
City’s defence was soon breached 12 minutes into the first half as Mohamed Salah scampered down the right and delivered a brilliant ball for Cody Gakpo to score from a yard out at the far post as Liverpool took a 1-0 lead in at the break.
The Citizens are currently on a six-match winless run, their longest under Pep Guardiola, highlighting a serious dip in form.
This is a stark contrast to Liverpool, whose manager Arne Slot has lost just once in all competitions this season, with his team winning 17 and drawing only once.
Slot’s side has shown remarkable consistency, while City have struggled since the injury to Rodri, their midfield anchor.
Salah is in the form of his life, having scored 10 goals and provided six assists in the Premier League alone this season before adding one of each in this game.
A win for Liverpool over their rivals puts them nine points ahead of the Citizens and firmly on course to win the title as we approach the New Year.
With Guardiola’s side faltering and Liverpool maintaining their winning rhythm, it seems the Reds are ready to capitalise on their rivals’ struggles to capture a second Premier League crown.
In other news, Kyle Walker has been spotted in a touchline bust-up as Man City fans fume.
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