Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, has clarified that John Stones’ dramatic late winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers was not disallowed because there was no infringement involving Wolves’ goalkeeper, Jose Sa.
The game kicked off with an early advantage for the hosts, thanks to a goal from Jorgen Strand Larsen, who put Wolves ahead. However, City equalized just before halftime through Josko Gvardiol.
As the match neared its end, excitement built when Stones rose to head the ball into the net past goalkeeper Sa. Initially, the goal was met with scrutiny and subjected to a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) check, leaving fans and players on edge. During this review, the officials had to assess if there had been any foul play, particularly involving Bernardo Silva.
In an interview with BBC Sport after the game, Pep Guardiola voiced his confusion regarding the linesman’s initial call, stating, “Of course, I didn’t understand it. The linesman, I don’t know the reason why he did it. But Bernardo [Silva] isn’t disturbing the position. It was difficult in the first moment.”
Guardiola further highlighted the challenges that modern goalkeepers face in terms of visibility, asserting that “today in modern football, they starve the keeper.”
He emphasized that at the moment of the decisive play, Sa had a clear line of sight, underscoring the quality of both Phil Foden’s delivery and Stones’ precise header.
In a subsequent announcement, the Premier League provided clarification regarding the officiating decision surrounding John Stone’s controversial goal.
The league body stated that Stones’ late goal was initially ruled offside because Silva was in an offside position and appeared to obstruct the goalkeeper’s line of vision.
However, after a thorough VAR review, it was determined that Silva did not indeed impede Sa’s ability to see the ball’s movement.
Consequently, the referee, Chris Kavanagh, revised his earlier decision and awarded the goal, allowing City to secure their 2-1 victory in the dying moments of the match.
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