Rodri against referees

Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, better known as Rodri, criticized the refereeing in yesterday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, which ended in a 2-2 draw after Dominic Solanke equalized with a brace. Rayan Cherki’s and Antoine Semenyo’s goals had given them a temporary lead before halftime, but it wasn’t enough.

Spanish midfielder Rodri spoke with harsh criticism and conspiratorial undertones about the attitudes against his team.

Controversial moment 

The controversy arose from Tottenham’s opening goal, scored by Dominic Solanke, in which the striker struck Marc Guéhi’s leg before shooting, with VAR  allegedly failing to correct the referee’s decision.

Statements from Rodri

"They don’t want us to win, and the referee has to be neutral. There’s a crystal-clear foul on the very first play. He gives him a very clear kick, and VAR is there for a reason. These little details make all the difference," Rodrigo said.

The midfielder emphasized the possible victory had they resorted to disallowing the goal. “If they hadn’t scored that first goal, maybe we would have won the game,” he said, visibly angry, in statements to the Premier League.

"I never talk about the referees because I have a lot of respect for their work, but it’s not just today; it’s been two or three games in a row. Honestly, I don’t know why. We’ve won a lot, and people don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. It's not fair because we work so hard and it's very frustrating," added the Spaniard, who stressed that it's currently "impossible" to talk to the referees.

Current situation

The draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium extends Manchester City’s bad luck run, having won just one of their last six league matches and now sitting six points behind Arsenal with 14 games remaining.

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