HOW DID REF MESS THAT UP?
Bungling official awards bizarre penalty after Sterling’s stumble
THE first thing to say is that there were five officials on or around the perimeter of the Etihad pitch and one of them — if not all — should have spotted Raheem Sterling’s unfortunate impression of Devon Loch.
As the Manchester City forward tripped himself up in the turf and fell in the penalty area midway through the first half, the nearest Shakhtar Donetsk defender would have struggled to touch him had he even tried.
This really was one of the strangest penalty decisions we will ever see. Shakhtar defender Mykola Matviyenko was the player judged to have made contact with Sterling and he wore the look of a man waiting for someone to let him in on the joke as the referee pointed to the spot.
The wider debate — the one that will run on through the week — is what Sterling should have done about it all, if anything.
Such was the margin of referee Viktor Kassai’s error that Sterling might have considered indicating that he had merely fallen over and suggested to the official that he should reverse his decision. This has happened before, Robbie Fowler appealing to referee Gerald Ashby to change his mind after falling under David Seaman’s dive when playing for Liverpool at Highbury in 1997.
Fowler, it should be said, was unsuccessful in his pleading that night and had actually dived in the first place. Some may say that is the key difference. Fowler may well have been motivated by guilt and embarrassment whereas Sterling had no need to be here.
But did Sterling miss a trick, regardless? Possibly, but if so the 23-year-old should not be blamed.
Certainly the young player could have struck a blow for fair play and for the good name of his club during a bad week for City off the field. But is that really his responsibility? What if City had gone on to lose or draw? They were only a goal ahead at the time.
Equally, do we know for sure that Sterling knew exactly what had brought him down? Cameras showed clearly that it was a toe stuck in the turf but, moving at speed, did Sterling know it was this and not the touch of an opponent’s boot. Only Sterling himself knows the answer and maybe we should not presume to.
On the touchline City coach Pep Guardiola did seem aware of the error. He appeared to be saying ‘No, no, no’ to the fourth official. So he could in theory have asked Gabriel Jesus to miss the penalty deliberately. But, ultimately, this is not Guardiola’s responsibility either.
In the end, it is down to referees and their assistants to make the right decisions, especially when they are as clear and obvious as this one.
To widen the point, it is the responsibility of UEFA to appoint the right men for the job in the first place. Given Kassai’s mixed track record — that includes missing a clear trip on Sterling when City lost to Barcelona here two years ago — there would appear to be room for improvement in this area as well.
So on a strange night, City scored six for the second home game in a row, their centre forward Gabriel Jesus scored a hat- trick and neither ended up as headline material. It is fair to suggest that City may feel this is not their week but Guardiola will not complain about the form or mood of his team.
Shakhtar were not the fiercest or most determined of opponents, in the same way that Southampton had not been on Sunday. But City can only beat the teams they face and at the moment they are doing so with a relish that is bordering on the beautiful.
Guardiola mixed his team selection a little here without weakening it. He has the strength in depth in his squad to do that. To underline that point was a Jesus hattrick and a goal and assist for the steadily improving Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez, the former Leicester player, embarrassed his full back in sliding the ball across goal for David Silva to score from close range early on and once Jesus had converted the controversial penalty in the 24th minute the result, if not the scoreline, was settled.
In the second half the Ukrainian team retreated still further, both territorially and in terms of their courage. Sterling curled in a beautiful goal from 18 yards in the 48th minute and that was the England player’s seventh of the season. No wonder the FA aren’t sure of handing his No 10 shirt to Wayne Rooney for next weekend’s friendly game.
Jesus scored his second of the night from another penalty — Taras Stepanenko definitely bringing down David Silva on this occasion — before Mahrez drove in a goal from the angle before releasing Jesus for the Brazilian to chip the goalkeeper quite beautifully at the death.
A late goal for Hoffenheim at Lyon means City have not qualified for phase two just yet but that will come. City will only wonder what other strange stories can follow them between now and Sunday’s derby here with Manchester United.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 6.5; Walker 7 (Danilo 61min, 6), Stones 7, Laporte 7, Zinchenko 6.5; D Silva 7 (Gundogan 73, 6), Fernandinho 7 (Delph 76), B SILVA 8.5; Mahrez 8, Jesus 8, Sterling 8. Subs not used: Muric, Otamendi, Sane, Aguero. Scorers: D Silva 13, Jesus 24 pen, 72 pen, 90+2, Sterling 48, Mahrez 84. Booked: None. Manager: Pep Guardiola 8. SHAKHTAR DONETSK (4-5-1): Pyatov 6; Matviyenko 6, Kryvtsov 5.5, Rakitskiy 4, Ismaily 5; Stepanenko 6, Maycon 6 (Alan Patrick 77); Taison 5.5 (Wellington Nem 77), Kovalenko 6, Bolbat 5.5; Moraes 5 (Kayode 63, 6). Subs not used: Shevchenko, Khocholava, Butko, Dentinho. Booked: None. Manager: Paulo Fonseca 6. Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) 6. Attendance: 52,286.