Fans have slammed the decision to allow Nathan Ake’s goal against Tottenham to stand on Friday night.
Ake netted late on to help Manchester City beat Spurs in the fourth round of the FA Cup, poking home from just yards out after Guglielmo Vicario failed to deal with a Kevin De Bruyne corner.
The home goalkeeper was booked by referee Paul Tierney for his protests, with him and his team-mates claiming he was fouled by Ruben Dias in the build-up to the goal.
Replays showed that though Vicario managed to get to the corner to punch it, Dias jumped alongside him, knocking him off balance before Ake reached a lose ball to score the winner.
The decision has left some fans angered, with the ruling unclear after a goal was ruled out earlier on in the season when Manuel Akanji clashed with Alisson Becker during City’s draw with Liverpool in November.
‘That’s absolutely a foul on Vicario,’ said one user on X, formerly Twitter. ‘No way he doesn’t catch that if Dias isn’t blocking him off it.’
‘THAT IS 100% A FOUL,’ added another, while a separate fan pointed to the Akanji incident, posting: ‘Akanji on Alisson = Foul. Dias on Vicario = Not a Foul.’
Optician retailer Specsavers, meanwhile, joked: VAR have #TheTraitors on their screens and not the game.’
Ake admitted after the game that he was unsure if the goal should have been ruled out because he hadn’t seen the incident up close, having eyes only for the ball.
Speaking to ITV, he said: ‘I’m not sure what happened to be fair. I just saw the ball in front of me and I just stuck it in, so I don’t know what happened. I’d have to see it back.
‘We are so happy. So happy. It was tough, but I think we played really well over the whole game. So yeah, we just had to score and it didn’t happen again for a long time. So I was thinking, is it gonna happen? But luckily we got it in.’
Tottenham manager Ange Postecolglou, meanwhile, didn’t argue the decision.
The disgruntled Australian said: ‘I think the decision was made and we have to accept it. They are a top opponent and make you suffer, they were the bottom team.
‘It was too tough a test for us. We will continue on with the way we are going, it doesn’t mean anything changes for us.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
