Rodri says Manchester City players miffed about VAR misfortunes

Even as Manchester City’s title chances were dented after a 2-1 defeat to local rivals Manchester United on Saturday, VAR became a talking point yet again during the heated game. And City’s midfielder Rodri has explained that his teammates have been extremely annoyed by VAR decisions going the other way. "We are p***ed off by it but there is no point (talking) for us," Rodri said. "We have to keep fighting and don’t focus on these things."

In a game that saw VAR rewarding the men in red with a penalty after Bernardo Silva’s foul on Marcus Rashford, City saw none of their three handball claims being given by video assistant referee Michael Oliver.

Two of these claims involved United defender Victor Lindelof, where one instance saw the ball bounce off his thigh before hitting his elbow. The other, a more legitimate shout, was not awarded to City either, much to the disbelief of the players.

Another incident saw a cross hit Fred on the arm, but City were denied a spot-kick again, as the Brazilian's hand was deemed to have been in a natural position according to the rules.

It’s easy to see why the Cityzens would be upset over a potentially match-turning VAR shout, especially after feeling like they got the short end of the stick at Anfield earlier last month. In a 3-1 defeat that saw City’s morale take a hit, Sadio Mane’s shove on Raheem Sterling wasn’t spotted by the VAR either.

An upset Rodri, on the sidelines of the Derby defeat to United added, "You guys look to that [VAR calls] but it’s always decisions that can change matches. This time it didn’t help us...It is other people's jobs - we can't scream."

"They gave United the penalty, and for us no penalty, so it makes a difference but it’s no excuse for us."

Even as City plan to head to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb in a Champions League tie midweek, Rodri appealed to fans to continue backing them, "I would tell the supporters to stay behind us because we have other things this year, other cups," he said.

Unfortunately, the defeat to Manchester United sees the Premier League defending champions fall a full 14 points behind table-toppers Liverpool, even as Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City try to mount a title challenge to the Reds now.

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