Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva did not mince words in his criticism of the reigning champions after their dramatic capitulation against local rivals Manchester United at the Etihad on Sunday.
City took the lead through Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header and appeared set to hold on for the win with just two minutes of normal time remaining.
However, a late error by Matheus Nunes cost City a penalty, which was cooly converted by Bruno Fernandes.
Moments later, they were caught off guard as Amad Diallo latched onto Lisandro Martinez’s ball over the top, rounded Ederson and found the net.
“We deserved what happened,” a furious Silva told Sky Sports after the game. “At this level, a game or two is unlucky. We can’t say this is lucky or unlucky – ten games, it’s not about that.
“Minute 87 in a derby, winning 1-0 and our corner ends in a penalty for them, if we make these stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go you deserve to pay for that. Looking at the game I think there was only one team that could win the game, but at the end we lost.
“It’s not one game, it’s a lot of games lately. We have to look at ourselves. You can say, ‘oh that’s a bit unlucky’, no. It’s the decisions you make. Today, in the last minute, we played like Under-15s.
“We don’t want them to happen. It’s a bit frustrating because if you look at the game until [the] 86th minute there was only one team that could win the game.
“Then from a corner for Man City, you leave a centre back, Ruben [Dias] stayed, but we end up with the ball at our keeper. There’s no excuse for that.
“When it happens in ten games, we have to look at ourselves and see what we can do better. There needs to be communication for us to play short or to keep the ball in the corner or something.
“At least if the ball ends up with one of our midfielders, just put it in the corner. Not put yourself under pressure. It’s not just the pass from Matheus to the keeper.
“It’s everything, how the ball ends up from Ruben to Matheus and Kyle…we have to do better. Be more experienced, smarter, at this level even if you’re better than the opponent. You deserve to lose the game.
“It’s quite normal that we’re not very happy at the minute. Not just this game but the last month. We have to do better individually and collectively because it’s not the standards of Manchester City.”
Shina Oludare is a distinguished sports journalist and managing editor, renowned for his comprehensive coverage of African football. His dedication to elevating African sports on the global stage has earned him widespread respect, along with numerous accolades for his contributions. A graduate of the LaLiga Business School in Madrid, Oludare’s passion for sports and his influential work in African football journalism have established him as a leading figure in the industry.
