Steven Gerrard slams referee as Aston Villa share spoils with Manchester City
Steven Gerrard has slammed referee Simon Hopper as Aston Villa drew 1-1 against Manchester City on Saturday in the Premier League.
Philippe Coutinho looked to have scored a late goal that would’ve given the Villans the lead and possibly three points against the defending Premier League champions.
However, that was disallowed for offside, leaving Gerrard and thousands of Villa fans shocked and fuming over the decision.
The Daily Mail quoted Gerrard as saying, “I’ve seen a legitimate goal but I’m obviously gonna be biased.
“The referee had done the same at the other end, where Ezri Konsa challenges the goalkeeper, why not wait? Why not wait and then check or let other people check if it’s a foul.
“But he was desperate on the whistle and that’s happened twice over the 90 minutes.”
Spot on
There have been some shocking officiating moments throughout the Premier League this season and these two are right up there with them.
We cannot understand how, despite all the resources at their disposal, the referees make such ridiculous calls throughout the game.
Gerrard may be reprimanded or fined for his comments, but if the managers cannot speak up, then who really can?
After a tough few weeks, beating City would’ve been a feather in his cap and would’ve been just what he needed to kick start a good run of form.
It would also get the critics off his back after a disastrous few weeks where Villa have looked wanting for answers time and again.
Hopefully, they still take heart from their performance against the best team in the country and continue their fight to reach the top half of the Premier League this season.
In other Aston Villa news, manager Steven Gerrard is very keen to bring Liverpool defender Joe Gomez to the club.