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Published 13:22 IST, November 11th 2019

Manchester City players not to remove VAR frustrations on social media

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had advised his players not to express anguish on social media over the recent VAR controversy in their Liverpool defeat.

Reported by: Minaam Ansari
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has asked his players to refrain from expressing their frustrations over the controversial VAR system on social media after their defeat against Liverpool, according to latest British media reports. City lost 1-3 against the Reds at Anfield on Sunday. They now trail by nine points against Klopp’s league leaders.

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City were left furious after they were denied a penalty for a handball seconds before Liverpool broke forward and took the lead through a strike from Fabinho just six minutes into the match. A Bernardo Silva shot was allegedly blocked by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s arm, inviting wide appeal from the City players for a penalty.

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The visitors were also furious when they felt that there was another instance of a handball by the right-back which went unpunished, while Raheem Sterling did not get a penalty after going down in the box under minimal contact. When asked by the media about the incident, Pep Guardiola stated that irrespective of what happened in the match, they showed why they are champions and that he is proud of his team, more than ever. He said that he could be proud of how they played against the strongest team in Europe. When asked specifically about the handball, he told the media to ask the referees and the officials in the VAR as to why the first goal stood and not him.

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City's bad form at Anfield continues

City's miserable run at Anfield of registering just one win in their last 29 visits, continued in this fixture, which left their manager raging at some controversial VAR calls. When asked about the league table, Guardiola stated that there are still seven months to go and if Liverpool win the Premier League, he will be the first person to congratulate them because he cannot deny how good Liverpool are. Guardiola was appreciative of the way they play, create many chances to score and the willingness of the Reds to succeed all the time.

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Updated 17:53 IST, November 11th 2019