James Milner should have been sent off for a second cautionable offence when he denied a promising attack in the 74th minute.
I don’t think anyone would have complained if Paul Tierney dismissed the Liverpool full-back for the foul on Bernardo Silva.
Referee Tierney had a decent game, but let himself down by not making the big call. That incensed Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who showed his frustration and was booked.
I don’t condone Pep’s actions, but if Tierney had shown a yellow in the first place, the flashpoint would have been avoided.
Milner also fouled Phil Foden on 31 minutes but it was a subjective decision and Tierney didn’t deem it was a free-kick.
It was outside the area and VAR doesn’t intervene in situations like this.
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Had Tierney given a free-kick, he would have to consider whether Milner denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
The Liverpool man was finally cautioned on 42 minutes when he pulled Foden back – and Tierney was right to brandish the yellow card in this instance.
*Pictures from BBC Sport
