Erling Haaland expressed sympathy for his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Dominik Szoboszlai after the midfielder was sent off during Manchester City’s dramatic win over Liverpool.
The red card came following a VAR check after Szoboszlai pulled Haaland during a counter-attack that allowed Rayan Cherki to score from halfway.
Haaland, who was also involved in the incident, felt the officials could have let the goal stand instead of issuing a sending off. Speaking to Sky Sports, the City striker reflected on the harshness of the decision.
“Of course, the referee had to follow the rules but this will give him three games, in the end I feel bad for him because he gets three games [sic],” Haaland said.
“Just give the goal, don’t give a red card. Simple as that. It’s the rules and how it is. If Cherki just passed me the ball so I can score… but he didn’t want to, so that’s just how it is!”
Despite the controversy, Szoboszlai will serve a one-match ban for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, a far lighter punishment than Haaland initially feared.
The incident has sparked debate over VAR’s role in high-stakes Premier League encounters, with City’s win ultimately overshadowed by the dramatic finale.
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