Manchester City defender, Ruben Dias, expressed his frustration at VAR decisions following their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday.
The visitors had their hopes dashed as Harvey Barnes scored twice for Newcastle, first in the 64th minute and again six minutes later.
Dias managed to pull one back shortly after Barnes’ opener, but the comeback was quickly undone.
The second Newcastle goal proved controversial, with City players believing that Bruno Guimarães had made excessive contact with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Pep Guardiola appeared to confront the Brazilian after full-time, though he refrained from commenting publicly on the incident.
Dias also questioned an earlier VAR decision involving Phil Foden but was particularly critical of the decision to allow Newcastle’s second goal.
Many felt Barnes had pushed Donnarumma, with Guimarães playing a role in the build-up, yet the goal stood.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Dias said, “In the first-half incident with Phil, they said it was clear, so I won’t dwell on it. But the second goal—there’s no sense in allowing it.”
He continued, “Our keeper is pushed out of the goal, and nothing happens. Sometimes certain contacts are penalized, and other times they aren’t. It doesn’t make sense. When I reviewed it, it was clear Barnes pushed Gigi away from the goal. Back in the day, that would’ve been a foul. Now it’s allowed.”
Despite his complaints, Dias acknowledged Newcastle’s performance, adding, “They deserved the win. They took their chances better than us. But there needs to be a consistent rule regarding contact with goalkeepers.”
