The Club World Cup champions, Manchester City, secured a 3-1 win against Everton during their midweek trip to Goodison Park. This victory marked their second league win after a series of draws, followed by a narrow defeat to Aston Villa on December 7.
The current campaign of the English champions has been entangled in injuries, with key players Jermey Doku, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne remaining out of selection due to injury woes. John Stones is the newest addition to the list, forcing Pep Guardiola to raise his complaint against officials.
John Stones injury update
Following Everton’s first-half goal, Pep Guardiola’s team rallied in the second-half with three goals on Wednesday night, thanks to Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, and Bernardo Silva. In their efforts to clinch a victory, Manchester City have encountered fresh injury concerns as their English star center-back John Stones was forced off the field after sustaining an injury while defending against Everton forward Beto. It appeared that the Everton player was offside during the attack.
However, the linesmen didn’t raise the offside flag, and John Stones was forced to make a last-gasp challenge on Beto, resulting in a collision with the opposition attacker. Three minutes before halftime, he finally gave up and limped off, giving way to Gvardiol.
During the post-match media interaction, the Spanish boss provided an update on the Englishman’s injury. He said, “It doesn’t look good, probably, but we will see. Hopefully, the damage isn’t big, and he can come back soon. December has been tough with important players injured, but we are still there.”
Pep Guardiola slams PL referee
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola became the latest EPL manager to criticize Premier League match officials, expressing concern about their decisions following John Stones’ injury due to a similar call. Notable coaches like Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp had shared candid thoughts on officiating earlier.
Pep said, “I said to Anthony Taylor but it is the same with the hands. You go to the Champions League and it is different. If it’s offside, it is offside. If there are doubts don’t do it. But if he’s offside, he’s offside. He had to make 25 yards and now he is injured and they say you’re right Pep but that’s the situation.”
Moreover, Everton manager Sean Dyche also concurred with the City boss’s words, stating some decisions led to a concussion. He voiced similar thoughts about the VAR officiating during the match.
He stated, “The rules are saying one thing, the people in the game want a different thing, VAR intervenes when we’re not sure when it’s intervened or not, and a lot is going on.”
The treble winners are struggling to find their top form this season, facing inconsistency in their title defense. Currently, they stand in the 4th spot on the points table, trailing behind Liverpool, Arsenal, and Villa. Next, they will take on Sheffield United in their last league fixture of 2023 on Saturday.
