Guardiola Addresses Szoboszlai Red Card After Chaotic Ending at Anfield
VAR’s decision to rule out a late Manchester City goal and dismiss Dominik Szoboszlai has come under heavy fire, with many arguing that technology is draining the excitement from football.
The flashpoint came in the final moments of City’s dramatic 2–1 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
What Happened: Late Goal Disallowed, Szoboszlai Sent Off
The incident unfolded in the 100th minute. With Liverpool throwing everything forward in search of an equaliser, Alisson Becker had ventured upfield for a corner, leaving the home side’s goal completely exposed.
City cleared their lines and substitute Rayan Cherki sparked a counter-attack, sending an ambitious effort towards the unguarded net from near the halfway line.
As the ball rolled goalward, Dominik Szoboszlai and Erling Haaland sprinted back in pursuit. Szoboszlai appeared to pull at Haaland’s shirt in an attempt to slow him, before the City striker responded with a tug of his own.
The ball crossed the line, seemingly confirming a 3–1 victory for the visitors. Moments later, VAR stepped in. Rather than allowing the advantage and awarding the goal, referee Craig Pawson was advised to halt play.
Play was pulled back to the original infringement, the goal was disallowed, and Szoboszlai was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, with City instead awarded a free-kick.
Guardiola Questions VAR Intervention
Pep Guardiola admitted he was baffled by the decision, suggesting common sense should have taken precedence over a rigid reading of the rules.
Speaking after the match, the Manchester City manager voiced his irritation at the interruption to what he felt should have been a natural end to the contest. As quoted by BBC Sport, Guardiola said:
“Come on referee, give the goal and go home!”
Backlash Grows Over VAR Call
The call has triggered widespread backlash from pundits and supporters, many of whom felt a thrilling moment was needlessly spoiled.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was particularly vocal, expressing his disappointment despite being broadly supportive of VAR. Speaking via BBC Sport, he said:
“You live for matches like this. I like VAR, but this has completely sucked the joy out of it. Fans watch football for entertainment and moments like that. They’ve just wiped out one of the moments of the season.”
Fans echoed those sentiments on social media. One supporter described the call as “shocking,” arguing that the red card was unnecessary and that the goal should have stood, while another claimed VAR had stripped away a special moment simply to ensure a decision was “technically” correct, calling it a miserable end to an otherwise thrilling half of football.
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