Manchester City seemed to have increased their lead against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, but Manuel Akanji was penalized for a foul.
According to Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, Manuel Akanji was rightly penalized for impeding Alisson Becker in the sequence leading to Ruben Dias’ disallowed goal on Saturday.
City believed they had gone 2-0 ahead of Liverpool as Dias slotted in a goal from close quarters. However, Alisson’s attempt to collect Julian Alvarez’s corner was disrupted after slight contact from Akanji.
Referee Chris Kavanagh stopped play for a foul, and the decision was upheld following a quick VAR check. While many City fans disagreed with the call, Gallagher argues that even minimal contact can destabilize a goalkeeper.
“Goalkeepers are seen as protected, but even a slight nudge can throw off their balance, making them unable to catch the ball,” Gallagher explained in an interview with Sky Sports. “I think the contact was enough to warrant a foul. He loses balance and control when hit [by Akanji’s arm]. Definitely the right call.”
Had City’s goal stood after Erling Haaland’s first-half strike, they would have held a lead for 70 minutes. Instead, Liverpool mounted a comeback, and Trent Alexander-Arnold leveled the score with a precise shot into Ederson’s bottom corner 10 minutes before the end.
While Pep Guardiola’s side briefly led the Premier League, they’ve now slipped to second following Arsenal’s late victory against Brentford on Saturday night. Their next fixtures include a Champions League match against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, followed by an away trip to Tottenham on Saturday.
