'Just give the goal!' - Erling Haaland fumes over Premier League rule after Dominik Szoboszlai red card in Man City's dramatic win at Liverpool

City led 2-1 in the dying embers at Anfield before the incident in the 99th minute which has dominated a large amount of public discussion following the full-time whistle.

With Alisson caught up the pitch after going up for a set piece, Cherki played the ball through from his own half that left Haaland bearing down on goal. The Norwegian was too fast for the covering Szoboszlai, who pulled him back as he raced to reach the ball – a clear denial of a goalscoring opportunity – and Haaland returned the favour by pulling the Liverpool midfielder down to the ground as he attempted to clear the ball off the line, the ball instead trickling into the net.

City players wheeled away in celebration, thinking Cherki had scored a sealing third goal of a dramatic encounter, before VAR stepped in to disallow the goal for Haaland’s pull on Szoboszlai, while sending off the Hungarian for his earlier foul on Haaland.

Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Haaland expressed his frustration at the late incident and stated he wished the goal had been allowed to stand, rather than issuing a red card to Szoboszlai, which was not really in the best interests of either side.

Haaland said: "I think, for me, of course the referee has to follow the rules.

"But this will give him [Szoboszlai] three games [ban]. I feel bad for him, because he gets three games. Just give the goal, don't give red cards, it's as simple as that.

"But I think it's the rules. This is just how it is. I don't know. In the end, Cherki just passed me the ball and I couldn't score, but that's just how it is."

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Haaland was not alone in his dismay at the late refereeing call, with pundit and co-commentator Gary Neville criticising the decision live on air on Sky Sports.

“I just don't get this,” said Neville. “He's fouled him. That's the foul. That feels so unjust. I know there's rules but there is the smell of the game.

“No referee should disallow that goal but it is going to be disallowed. Talk about killjoy. Just let the goal be. You have just killed one of the great moments of the season.”

When asked about the incident by BBC Match of the Day, City manager Pep Guardiola simply said: "Come on referee, give the goal and go home."

Meanwhile, ex-Manchester United star Roy Keane claimed the moment "just added to the drama" and described it as "great".

The decision to disallow City’s third goal and instead send off Szoboszlai ultimately made no impact on the result of the game, which saw Guardiola's team leave Anfield with all three points for the first time since 2021.

Liverpool had led through a stunning free-kick by Szoboszlai himself with just over a quarter of an hour to play, before Bernardo Silva stepped in to equalise ten minutes later to set up a grand-stand finish. The visitors won a stoppage-time penalty for a foul by Alisson on Matheus Nunes, which Haaland struck home confidently, before the late incident involving the Premier League top scorer and Szoboszlai.

The decision has left many scratching their heads and will have left a sour taste in the mouth for some, but the reality is that it takes nothing away from a stunning result for City, which leaves them just six points behind leaders Arsenal with 13 matches left to play.

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