Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has criticised title rivals Arsenal for alleged tactical fouling after Sunday’s goalless draw and insisted more yellow cards should have been handed out by referee Anthony Taylor.
The Cityzens were left frustrated after taking just one point from Sunday’s meeting with the Gunners, leaving them down in third and trailing leaders Liverpool by three points.
Manager Pep Guardiola was quick to speak on his opponents’ tactics, claiming their desire to dig deep made for an uninteresting test.
Akanji also shared his opinion on the game, referencing the need for sterner action from the referee and more bookings.
He said: “I don’t understand. One [foul] in the first half [from Kai Havertz] was a very late tackle on Stefan [Ortega]. For me it is clearly a yellow card. There are some rules, and I think there are clear yellow cards where it should be.
“I remember the action with Jorginho when he’d already done a tackle foul, and did the second one, and he didn’t even give a yellow card for one foul.
“I didn’t understand some decisions. They played a lot of long balls and defended with six players in the back, so it was difficult to get through. When we got through, sometimes they stopped us with the fouls – and if there’s no actions to it, it’s hard.”
Arsenal ended the game having made 20 fouls in comparison to Man City’s nine but only two visiting players received yellow cards. Gabriel Jesus was booked in the 67th minute for kicking the ball away before David Raya was cautioned just 12 minutes later for time-wasting.
The Gunners’ tactics did see them avoid defeat at the Etihad, helping them snap a run of eight straight defeats at the home of the English champions. They continue their bid to win the Premier League trophy when they host Luton on Wednesday night.
