Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola once again found himself at the centre of a VAR controversy after his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg win over Newcastle United, using the occasion to revisit a series of decisions he believes have gone against his team at St James’ Park and elsewhere.
City left Tyneside with a 2-0 advantage that puts them firmly in control of the tie, but the victory did little to calm Guardiola’s irritation.
Instead, it reopened frustrations linked not only to the match itself but also to a previous Premier League defeat at the same ground, with the City boss questioning why similar incidents appeared to be judged differently.
City’s performance was largely professional. They controlled possession, limited Newcastle’s attacking threat and struck at key moments to take a commanding lead back to the Etihad Stadium.
Antoine Semenyo continued his impressive run of form by opening the scoring, before Rayan Cherki sealed the result late on. Yet the defining talking point of the evening came in the second half, when City thought they had extended their lead further.
Semenyo found the net again from a corner, only for celebrations to be cut short following a prolonged VAR controversy and review. The officials eventually ruled the goal out, deciding that Erling Haaland was in an offside position and interfering with Newcastle defender Malick Thiaw.
The delay and the eventual decision visibly frustrated the City bench, with Guardiola animated on the touchline as he awaited clarification.
A night overshadowed by VAR controversy
Speaking after the match, Guardiola made it clear that his frustration was not limited to the disallowed goal alone.
When asked whether he had been given a full explanation for the decision, the City manager responded bluntly, suggesting that questions around VAR had been building for some time.
“It’s a good question,” Guardiola said, according to ESPN
“I say now I’d like to know why VAR in the 60th minute of the Premier League game against Newcastle – that we lost 2-1 – it was 0-0 and it was a penalty for (Fabian) Schar on Phil Foden, not even (giving it any) consideration.
“In the 20th minute there is an unbelievable penalty for the shot for Jeremy Doku off the hand, and not even VAR.”
Guardiola’s comments referred back to City’s league defeat at St James’ Park in November, a match that he felt turned on key decisions that went unchecked.
In his view, the contrast between that game and the lengthy review in the cup semi-final only added to his sense of inconsistency.
“Today, four people were not able to decide because the line was, I don’t know, but the second goal Newcastle scored the line was perfect,” he added.
Despite the strength of his words, Guardiola was careful to insist that his concerns were not rooted in conspiracy.
He stressed that across his decade in English football, he had rarely questioned officiating publicly, even in matches of major importance.
“I’m not suspicious of that in 10 years. I didn’t say anything when we lost 2-1 here. I didn’t say anything in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, it is a red card after 30 or 40 minutes for (Dean) Henderson,” he said.
“Okay, it’s fine, but the fact we didn’t say… I’m pretty sure Howard Webb (technical director for Professional Game Match Officials) is going to call me tomorrow to take explanations for that.”
Fine margins and high stakes in knockout football
Guardiola went on to place the VAR controversy within the wider context of knockout football, where he believes small decisions can have a significant impact on outcomes.
With City aiming to compete on multiple fronts once again this season, the margins, in his view, are too fine for errors or inconsistencies to be ignored.
“When you play semi-finals or finals and win 0-1, 0-0, 0-2, 1-1, because after 0-1 with five minutes they can equalise and after that it’s more difficult,” he said.
“I’m zero suspicious. In 10 years when we lost semi-finals in big competitions, in the league here, I didn’t say anything. On the touchline sometimes.”
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The City manager returned once more to the incidents from the earlier Premier League meeting, questioning why VAR intervention was absent then but prominent in the cup tie.
“But come on, in the same stadium, what happened? VAR’s intervened, ‘take a look, take a look’ – in the 60th minute, 20th minute, take a look at the two penalties,” Guardiola said.
“To come here in the Premier League and win, 0-1 or 0-2 advantage is a big difference for us.”
Despite his complaints, Guardiola was keen to separate his criticism of VAR from any assessment of Newcastle as a team.
He acknowledged their quality and made it clear that his focus was on the technology and its application, rather than the opposition.
“I don’t give any credit to Newcastle. I can say they won deservedly the game in the Premier League but why didn’t (VAR) intervene in these two (incidents)?” he said.
“Today was more than six minutes (reviewing) and we’re not even able to discuss it with the referee. But they will call me.”
Meanwhile, the result itself was a strong one for City. A two-goal cushion puts them in a commanding position ahead of the second leg, and Guardiola will be pleased with his side’s composure in a difficult away environment.
