The incriminating moment occurred in the 64th minute. A tie was on the scoreboard when defender Nathan Aké fired a shot into Everon’s penalty area from a turn. Defender Amadou Onana rushed against his shot, but the ball hit him in the hand from close range. Chief referee John Brooks, after a short delay and communication with the linesman, pointed to the spot from which Álvarez luckily sent the reigning champion of England into the lead.
“We could talk all day about whether or not it should have been a penalty,” sighed Dyche. “But (Onana’s) movement was completely natural. He didn’t raise his hand to catch or kick the ball, he just jumped at the shot and tried to block it. I must be from another planet if I don’t understand how a penalty kick could be ordered for this,” the 52-year-old coach scoffed.
“How do you define something like that?” ????
Sean Dyche left frustrated by decision to award Manchester City a penalty for a Amadou Onana handball ???? pic.twitter.com/DS9YsiTZx5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 28, 2023
“In addition, it was signaled by the referee’s assistant, who was some sixteen meters away from the spot. I really don’t know anymore who has what competences. All coaches debate this all the time. Someone has to hold their nose and realize that this cannot be whistling,” he added.
Mark Clattenburg, a former referee who worked in the Premier League between 2004 and 2017, also offered his view for the Amazon Prime channel. “That decision changed the game. When you knock down a shot that flies at the goal with your hand, the referees will always tend to give you a penalty,” said the 48-year-old Englishman.
“I agree with that? No. But the rules about the hand game have been discussed for quite a few years and still haven’t moved anywhere. Sometimes a penalty is awarded, sometimes not. Sometimes it’s taken as a conscious sleight of hand, sometimes it’s not,” Clattenburg shrugged.
In any case, City kept the lead after the much-discussed penalty kick, added one more goal and recorded a full point gain in the table for a 3:1 win. This was confirmed by coach Pep Guardiola, whose team had a tough trip last week. It first moved to Saudi Arabia, where it won the Club World Cup, and then returned to England.
“This match showed why we are the best team in the world. A very, very important victory,” the Spanish coach rejoiced.
Thanks to the win, the Citizens jumped to fourth place in the table, five points behind Liverpool, but they have a game to play. Everton, on the other hand, are just above the relegation zone, although if it weren’t for the ten-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules, they would comfortably be basking in tenth place.
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