Manchester City vs Chelsea: Pep Guardiola insists Sergio Aguero foul 'was not intentional'
Aguero was frustrated in front of goal and his reckless two-footed challenge on Luiz in injury time sparked a melee on the touchline which culminated in his dismissal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pep Guardiola believes Sergio Aguero’s red-card tackle on David Luiz was not intentional, although the Manchester City manager said it was “a pity” that his side’s defeat against Chelsea ended in a mass brawl.
City were beaten 3-1 by Antonio Conte’s team despite leading at half-time and missing a number of scoring opportunities. Aguero was frustrated in front of goal and his reckless two-footed challenge on Luiz in injury time sparked a melee on the touchline, with Fernandinho also sent off after grabbing Cesc Fabregas by the throat.
Chelsea have now won eight matches in succession thanks to a fine display from Diego Costa, who scored one before setting up Willian for the second. However, the match will also be remembered for the late brawl and Aguero now faces a potential four-match suspension, having already received a retrospective red card earlier in the season.
Guardiola said: “Both players were strong. He went down and touched him. It wasn’t intentional. I don’t think so. Maybe I have to understand many things here with the referees, it was red card. We accept that. It was the same with Nolito [against Bournemouth].
“We accept that. It’s a red card, OK. We’ll deal with that. It’s a pity what happened in the end. Fernandinho went there to defend his team-mate. The opponent went like this to his team-mate. After that, again and again and again it [brawl] happened. It’s a pity it finished like this, it was the way the referee decided. It’s a pity, I don’t like that and I apologise.
“I would like to congratulate Chelsea. I’m so proud of my team and how they played. We tried to play the way we played today and can’t forget who we played against. We created more changes than against Burnley and Crystal Palace when we won. In the box we are not strong enough, it’s as simple as that. I don’t have regrets.”
On referee Anthony Taylor’s overall performance, Guardiola added: “We didn’t win because we missed a lot of chances, not because of the referee. I respect the referees, I just have to understand them. I need time to understand the decisions and many things. But we didn’t not win because of the referee.”
Antonio Conte, the Chelsea manager, hailed his side’s spirit in fighting back from a goal down and also praised Diego Costa’s role in trying to keep the peace in injury time when tempers became heated.
Conte said: "I think today was very tough and the game was open until the end. There were lots of chances for both teams to score. I saw lots of character from my team and that's very important to grow. But we must continue to work and improve.
“Diego is showing he is using his passion in the right way and I'm very happy about that."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments