“We are not in final. We tried to do it, to create more chances so I don't have regrets. We tried to do what we wanted to do", Pep Guardiola – 23/04/2017.
Goals: Monreal (71'), Sanchex (101'); Agüero (62')
Line Up (4-2-3-1) (match ratings in brackets);
Bravo (6)
Navas (6.5)
Otamendi (6)
Kompany (6.5)
Clichy (5.5)
Fernandinho (6)
Sané (6)
De Bruyne (7)
Silva (6), (Sterling 23' (5.5), Iheanacho 105' (5.5))
Toure (7.5)
Agüero (7), (Delph 99' (5.5))
Referee; Craig Pawson (3)
Stats;Possession, 34%/66%; Shots, 9(3)/20(3); Corners, 6/7; Fouls, 20/20
Another game soured by appalling refereeing at the expense of the Blues. Arsenal had set up with a back five, two holding midfielders and the intent to kick ten shades out of City from the first whistle. Weak refereeing and a refusal to show deserved yellows for several nasty challenges, eventually led to David Silva needing to be withdrawn on 20' with an injury, most likely caused by Gabriel's unpunished tackle from behind.
The disastrous decisions then kept on coming; Aguero was clearly tripped inside the box by Chamberlain on the half hour, but no penalty given, and then to put the icing on the cake the linesman (Steve Child) disallowed a perfectly valid goal from Aguero on 40' saying INCORRECTLY that cross had gone out, awful just awful.
Despite everything City had thrown at them and totally dominating the first half Arsenal were allowed, wrongly, to go in evens at the break. If its soul sapping for fans week in week out, what must it be like for the players?
Arsenal finally decided to play football in the second half, and the game was a much more even affair for it. However, City drew first blood. With Arsenal abandoning the seven man defence, space opened up, and on 62' from an Arsenal corner, City broke quickly forward via a perfectly weighted ball onto Aguero from Toure, the Argentinians pace took him into the box, and his guile feigned to take it around the keeper, only for him to lift it into the right corner of the goal. Unfortunately for City the script was already written, by this time remember, all things being equal, City should have been two or three goals to the good. But when poor closing from Clichy allowed Chamberlain a speculative cross, and then Monreal, with Arsenal's first shot on target, gets to hit the equaliser - you sort of know whats coming. And in injury time it came, with a nonsense freekick being given against Kompany leading to pinball in the area and Sanchez to score the winner.
There were other chances for City; Toure had a solid effort on 79' tipped onto the post by Cech, Fernandinho rose to head onto the bar on 81',and Bellerin blocked Delph's effort on 110' when it looked like a City equaliser after De Bruyne's break. In the end though you cannot play 12 men for 120 minutes and not begin to feel the strain, and City could not raise themselves to take the game to penalties.
So another competition is taken away from the Blues grasp by incompetent officiating. I have no doubt the better team lost on the day - and not through their own misfortune. The sooner the FA wake up and realise they are destroying the game (or what they would describe as their "product") the better. Video referees are needed now, not after trials, not after more dilly dallying by grey suits who have never even stood on a terrace ... NOW!
The disastrous decisions then kept on coming; Aguero was clearly tripped inside the box by Chamberlain on the half hour, but no penalty given, and then to put the icing on the cake the linesman (Steve Child) disallowed a perfectly valid goal from Aguero on 40' saying INCORRECTLY that cross had gone out, awful just awful.
Despite everything City had thrown at them and totally dominating the first half Arsenal were allowed, wrongly, to go in evens at the break. If its soul sapping for fans week in week out, what must it be like for the players?
Arsenal finally decided to play football in the second half, and the game was a much more even affair for it. However, City drew first blood. With Arsenal abandoning the seven man defence, space opened up, and on 62' from an Arsenal corner, City broke quickly forward via a perfectly weighted ball onto Aguero from Toure, the Argentinians pace took him into the box, and his guile feigned to take it around the keeper, only for him to lift it into the right corner of the goal. Unfortunately for City the script was already written, by this time remember, all things being equal, City should have been two or three goals to the good. But when poor closing from Clichy allowed Chamberlain a speculative cross, and then Monreal, with Arsenal's first shot on target, gets to hit the equaliser - you sort of know whats coming. And in injury time it came, with a nonsense freekick being given against Kompany leading to pinball in the area and Sanchez to score the winner.
There were other chances for City; Toure had a solid effort on 79' tipped onto the post by Cech, Fernandinho rose to head onto the bar on 81',and Bellerin blocked Delph's effort on 110' when it looked like a City equaliser after De Bruyne's break. In the end though you cannot play 12 men for 120 minutes and not begin to feel the strain, and City could not raise themselves to take the game to penalties.
So another competition is taken away from the Blues grasp by incompetent officiating. I have no doubt the better team lost on the day - and not through their own misfortune. The sooner the FA wake up and realise they are destroying the game (or what they would describe as their "product") the better. Video referees are needed now, not after trials, not after more dilly dallying by grey suits who have never even stood on a terrace ... NOW!
@l0ngwayfr0mh0me
