Ruben Dias was visibly frustrated after his Manchester City side fell 2-1 to Newcastle United, and it wasn't just about the scoreline. The defender made headlines for all the wrong reasons after expressing dismay over a key moment in the game.
In the lead-up to Newcastle's winning goal, Harvey Barnes pushed Gianluigi Donnarumma out of his goal, but the City goalkeeper was not penalized. Dias couldn't fathom why this play wasn't flagged as a foul and felt that it undermined the consistency of refereeing decisions.
"What's the rule? What can you actually do?" Dias asked during the post-match interview. He pointed to Barnes' actions as a prime example of inconsistency in application. The City defender was also perplexed by how different calls were being made throughout the game, particularly when it came to fouls against Newcastle players.
Dias also referenced an earlier goal that Bournemouth scored at the Etihad Stadium, where Donnarumma's movements at a corner kick led to the equalizer. Guardiola agreed with Dias' sentiment and stated that while there was a claim made by Donnarumma, it was not enough to warrant a penalty.
The City coach also had a heated exchange of words with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton after the match. When asked about his conversation with Guimaraes, Guardiola said he told him how good he is and explained what happened in previous situations involving Donnarumma.
Despite Dias' frustration with the refereeing decisions, Newcastle's victory was attributed to their stronger team effort. The City defender acknowledged that his team was not as sharp as they needed to be on the day.
For Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp, Barnes pushing Donnarumma out of position before scoring the winner was minimal contact, and Donnarumma should have been stronger in responding to it. They believe consistency is key when it comes to refereeing decisions, and that sometimes players get away with minor infractions without consequences.
Overall, Dias' comments highlighted a larger issue regarding refereeing consistency and its potential impact on the flow of the game.
In the lead-up to Newcastle's winning goal, Harvey Barnes pushed Gianluigi Donnarumma out of his goal, but the City goalkeeper was not penalized. Dias couldn't fathom why this play wasn't flagged as a foul and felt that it undermined the consistency of refereeing decisions.
"What's the rule? What can you actually do?" Dias asked during the post-match interview. He pointed to Barnes' actions as a prime example of inconsistency in application. The City defender was also perplexed by how different calls were being made throughout the game, particularly when it came to fouls against Newcastle players.
Dias also referenced an earlier goal that Bournemouth scored at the Etihad Stadium, where Donnarumma's movements at a corner kick led to the equalizer. Guardiola agreed with Dias' sentiment and stated that while there was a claim made by Donnarumma, it was not enough to warrant a penalty.
The City coach also had a heated exchange of words with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton after the match. When asked about his conversation with Guimaraes, Guardiola said he told him how good he is and explained what happened in previous situations involving Donnarumma.
Despite Dias' frustration with the refereeing decisions, Newcastle's victory was attributed to their stronger team effort. The City defender acknowledged that his team was not as sharp as they needed to be on the day.
For Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp, Barnes pushing Donnarumma out of position before scoring the winner was minimal contact, and Donnarumma should have been stronger in responding to it. They believe consistency is key when it comes to refereeing decisions, and that sometimes players get away with minor infractions without consequences.
Overall, Dias' comments highlighted a larger issue regarding refereeing consistency and its potential impact on the flow of the game.
... i mean, you can't just let someone push you outta your box like that and not even get a yellow card or something 
. don't get me wrong, refs make mistakes, but sometimes it feels like they're all over the place... i was at that game last season when bournemouth scored at etihad and gianluigi's movements were super suspicious 
. anyway, ruben's frustration is understandable, but maybe instead of calling out the ref, he should've just tried to get his teammates on the same page 
. and omg, guardiola having a convo with guimaraes afterwards? 
that was a funny moment...
i mean who gets pushed outta goalpost by another player? it's just not right! 
referee decisions r so inconsistent, sometimes players get away w minor infractions 
... I'm so sick of these inconsistent refs ruining matches like this. Can't they just make one call and stick to it?!
... it's one thing to say 'what's the rule?' but what about consistency? 
... and don't get me started on Donnarumma - if he's not strong enough to keep his position, that's on him 
... City's squad is stacked, but sometimes you've got to give credit where it's due 
... Newcastle played a solid game, didn't overplay their hand 
... we need more transparency from the refs about what led them to make those calls 
... and please, no more 'it was minimal contact' 
- get off Donnarumma's back 
️. It's like you know what's gonna happen and then it just doesn't 
. And Dias is right, if there was even a hint of contact, Donnarumma should've been flagged 
. The players are out there giving it their all, and the refs need to be on point 
. Can't we just have a clear set of rules that everyone follows? 
dias has every right to be frustrated tho 
i mean what's up with donnarumma not getting a pen when barnes just pushed him out of the way 
- 3h50m ago
I feel for Ruben Dias 
, he's clearly super frustrated with the refereeing decisions 
. It's like, one minute you're doing everything right, and the next minute your team is getting away with stuff that doesn't even seem fair 
... like, what's going on? Can't we all just have a chat about how to improve the game instead of getting all heated 
? Dias' comments were super valid, and I think it's time for the ref crew to take another hard look at their calls 
.
- that's not minimal contact if you ask me 
. Donnarumma's movements at that corner kick were suspicious too - should've been a pen! 
. Guardiola said it was minimal contact, but I think Dias had every right to be upset 
#RefereesGetItTogether.