VAR causes another row as City draw a rare blank
IT SEEMS a lifetime ago when we were up in arms about VAR every week. In reality, it has only been a month or so since the common sense approach to refereeing was introduced this season and the video referee receded into the appropriate anonymity of Stockley Park.
As such, we had almost forgotten what a good VAR rant was like.
But like a sepia-tinted nostalgia fest, here was one from the old days, made to baffle and infuriate in equal measure and on which the match turned on 61 minutes. Adam Armstrong broke into the Manchester City penalty area and Kyle Walker dived in to tackle, getting much more man than ball.
Immediately referee Jon Moss gave a penalty before sending off Walker. After a lengthy delay, we had the ‘VAR checking penalty’ message. Which is bizarre in itself, as all penalties are checked right away anyway.
It cannot be said often enough just how bad the user experience is for the fan in the stadium as they are left to guess, denied any information or replays.
So while the referee jogs over to the monitor, fans are more or less invited to take a break and rejoin the action again when we’re ready. Prime-time entertainment it ain’t.
Eventually, we had Moss trotting back to rescind Walker’s red card, which seemed correct, as unless you haven’t attempted to play the ball, no player should be sent off while conceding a penalty on the principle of double jeopardy.
And yet he also overturned the penalty, which was odd as while it wasn’t the clearest-cut penalty ever, it certainly didn’t seem an obvious mistake.
Ralph Hassenhuttl, happy enough with his point, was magnanimous. ‘If this is interesting you, then we have the feeling that it (the award of the penalty) was not a clearly wrong decision. When the referee thinks it is clearly wrong, he has to overrule it and he did it, which is a pity for us…’
That moment provided the peak drama. There was little else to get excited about — other than on 90 minutes when City celebrated a last-minute winner before a flag was raised and checks were made.
It was Kevin De Bruyne’s cross for Phil Foden, headed goalwards, that seemed to break the deadlock. Alex McCarthy saved but Raheem Sterling bundled the ball over the line. Alas, he had come from an offside position, something VAR would confirm. Had he left it for Foden, following up behind, City would have had their three points.
It was City’s first attempt on goal and it came in the 90th minute. Even after the A-team had joined the action in De Bruyne, Foden and Riyad Mahrez, there wasn’t much to show for it. The team that hit five against Norwich and Arsenal, six against RB Leipzig had come over all shot-shy.
Those goalfests have prevented us from asking Pep Guardiola the obvious question. ‘What would Harry Kane do?’ More specifically what would he have done with the 22nd-minute Kyle Walker cross which Bernardo Silva allowed to bounce off his head and wide.
‘The question is not that,’ insisted Guardiola. ‘Today we didn’t not win because we didn’t have a centre forward. We didn’t win because our ability to make, to adapt, to create, to play better and give better balls for the players up front just weren’t as good.
‘We had one shot on target but there were four or five that were blocked in the six-yard box. But that’s not the reason. The reason is that we didn’t do the passes for our back four and Fernandinho, the five guys who have to bring the ball to the other players.’
Guardiola (below) was right. City weren’t fluid and when they are, they can almost do without a topclass finisher. Almost. You sense that in the title run-in and Champions League final stages they will rue their inability to do a deal with Daniel Levy.
The most significant firsthalf action came from the crowd. Three minutes in, they roared, a favourite anthem: ‘We’ve got Guardiola’ to the tune of ‘Glad All Over’. The lovers’ tiff between iconic coach and fanbase appeared resolved after Guardiola criticised the lack of atmosphere and numbers here in midweek and fans’ groups responded angrily. The fans, at least, were here and in force. The team, not so much.
Another benefitting from the reaffirmation of affection was Sterling, picked to start for the first time since the opening day’s 1-0 loss to Spurs. Supplanted by Ruben Dias in the leadership group at City and by Jack Grealish on the left, his best work seems reserved for England these days. Here he played centrally, with City’s only recognised centre-forward, Gabriel Jesus on the right and Grealish left. At times, that trio fizzed with excitement, but not often. City are too good ever to be average. Yet they looked short of their best. Southampton went beyond competence here. In between their periodic 9-0 defeats, they look a very decent side. The loss of Danny Ings, Ryan Bertrand and Jan Vestergaard doesn’t seem to have unduly taxed them. WardProwse still shines in midfield, Oriel Romeu his sidekick. Mohamed Elyounoussi will be dangerous when he picks better options. Tino Livramento impresses and Adam Armstrong is tireless up front.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; Silva, Fernandinho (De Bruyne 65), Gundogan; Jesus (Mahrez 67), Sterling, Grealish.
Subs (not used): Carson, Torres, Mbete, Palmer, Lavia, WilsonEsbrand.
Booked: None.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-5-1): McCarthy; Livramento (Perraud 86), Bednarek, Stephens (Salisu 37), Walker-Peters; Elyounoussi, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond; Adams (Broja 68); Armstrong.
Booked: Livramento, Walker-Peters.
Subs (not used): Forster, Lyanco, Djenepo, Tella, Diallo, Valery. Referee: Jonathan Moss.
Attendance: 52,698.