Alan Hutton: Aston Villa right to be aggrieved by Philippe Coutinho offside decision v Manchester City
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton feels that Aston Villa are right to be annoyed at Philippe Coutinho being deemed offside before scoring in their draw against Manchester City.
The Brazilian latched onto the ball in the second half and was immediately flagged offside as he smashed the ball past Ederson in the City net.
However, the 30-year-old was clearly onside in the replays and Hutton feels Villa have a right to be aggrieved with the official putting his flag up so early.
“I think he is right to be annoyed because he wasn’t offside and when you look at most of the referees allow play to go on,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“So with that in mind he did put the flag up really early, however, I do feel like the Manchester City players did stop slightly.
“So had they played on, would it still have happened, who knows, it could have gone in, it might not have gone in.
“However, I definitely believe that the linesman should have played on and allowed that phase on play to finish and then have a look at it.”
With VAR in use at Villa Park on Saturday evening (3 September), it is no surprise to see Steven Gerrard frustrated with the linesman’s decision to raise his flag so early.
This weekend sees the Villans make a vital trip to the bottom of the table Leicester City with the pressure really starting to mount on Foxes’ boss Brendan Rodgers.
In other Aston Villa news, £30million worth of shares have been pumped into the club to ensure any debts can be cleared heading into the meat of the season.