30 Jan 2020 08:49:57
Permit me to vent a bit.
Matic of course should know better when he is on a yellow, I concede that. But Kevin 'Fiend' had a horrible game; maybe trying to make up for way he handled the zlatan/ mings incident some years back. Rodri's tackle on Lingard was not a yellow yet Matic's 1st yellow stood? The whole 1st half Bernardo was barking at the ref like a (have a great analogy but i am practicing restraint), yet Matic does it once when he is obviously stronger on the ball and the ref gives him a 'final warning'? I asked my Mrs. towards the end of the 1st half, what do the city lads need to do to get a card, she replied 'put on a utd top'

Well we did win, Ole does it again at the Etihad but city also seemed like they didn't want to score at some point. Silly mistakes seems to be too many. Lindelof's back pass to DdG that was almost intercepted, MAguire's back pass that was intercepted, AwB and a few others not clearing the ball when needed.
As for the passing out from the back, I understand why we hardly hoofed the ball up, I think it was Ole's game plan, to beat the first wave of the high press and then we have room to use our pace. All we needed was for it to happen a few times and then utilize the chances. Similar to have Norwich did against city last year.
Vent over!

1.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 09:27:54
If Matic deserved red, then so too Rodry and Bernardo.

Just cannot understand how many times Gundogan, Walker committed the so called "tactical fouls" and got away with it.

2.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 09:51:13
I was saying this all game too. You need to be shot to get a city player booked.

3.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 10:28:07
No player on the pitch committed more fouls than Nemanja Matic. He committed 5, to Rodri's 3 despite Rodri being on the pitch for an extra 18 minutes.

Matic was given his marching orders for repetitive fouls. It was foolish of him to make the foul for the second yellow when at that moment in time he knew he was on a yellow card AND had been given a final warning by the Ref.

If you get told 1 more foul and your off, then you don't lunge in, simples.

Matic is to blame for his sending off and no one else. Yes maybe City's players could have been given one more yellow. As it stands officially both teams committed 11 fouls, United got 3 yellows, City 2. The home side like it or not will always get the benefit of the doubt, a Ref is only human and in a stadium where 90% of at least 30k but as many as 75k people shouting for a decision will effect anyone. That's why you get to play everyone home and away and in cup ties a home draw in an advantage.

We won the game, with 10 men, at the home of the defending champions. That's a decent result, but we lost this tie in the home leg in the first half. After that it was always going to be hard, and we can't pin the blame on poor refereeing as on the whole there were no awful decisions that went against us over the two legs.

4.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 10:47:57
5 fouls from matic, how many were actually bookable? Maybe the one he got sent off for. Rodri should have been booked on Lingard, it was cynical and that’s the frustration among fans shappy isn’t just based of this game, but look at how often Fernandinho gets away with murder. Bernardo silva and countless others. It happens every week and is pointed out a lot yet refs still don’t do a thing about it.

5.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 11:04:23
Caolan, a Ref should book a player after 3 fouls based on the toting up procedure. So in reality you only need to commit 4 fouls to be sent off for two yellow cards.

I know the frustration of the fans, I feel it myself. City tend to get away with it more as most of their tackles are cynical, shirt pulling or tripping of a player. Nothing dangerous. So they tend to get away with more.

Matic's problem was he doesn't have the mobility, so his tackles tend to be clumsier and potentially more dangerous.

6.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 11:26:20
Lets commend Matic on his excellent strike to get us even in the tie in the first place. Probably only the last one for Matic was a yellow card at a push. Micah Richards said in the studio neither of his bookings should have been yellow cards and he's City through and through. Very unlucky to be sent off. The Rodri foul on lingard was a blatant yellow in the 1st half but nothing was given.

7.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 11:55:23
I get the tiring up process for persistent fouls etc, but half of his weren’t even fouls in the first place. But I guess that’s the modern game, hardly able to make contact.

8.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 14:55:48
Shappy,

3 fouls is a yellow card? Since when, that wasn't in the laws when I learnt them mate.

{Ed001's Note - it doesn't. This is the actual FA law: "persistent offences (no specific number or pattern of offences constitutes “persistent”)" with regard to a booking. Note there is no specific number.}

9.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 15:29:40
Thought so.

10.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 16:12:07
Not to forget the ref being all smiley chatting aguero off the pitch winding down the clock.

11.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 16:16:18
I thought they brought it in that it was 3 fouls that consituted persistent fouling. I remember reading something about it a few years ago, it was pointed out that several Ref's held up three fingers when booking a players to show it was their third offence.

{Ed001's Note - nope, that was probably one of those short-lived directives they give out at the start of each season.}

12.) 30 Jan 2020
30 Jan 2020 18:58:17
Probably.