Gary Neville slams Craig Pawson for bizarre handling of Liverpool v Man City ending

City appeared to have wrapped up the contest when a scrappy counter attack ended with the ball rolling all the way into the Liverpool net from near the halfway line, while Dominik Szoboszlai & Erling Haaland grappled all the way. The goal sparked wild reactions before referee Craig Pawson was advised to head to the monitor for a VAR review.

What followed stunned the crowd. Not only was the goal disallowed, but Liverpool midfielder Szoboszlai was shown a red card, leaving many struggling to understand how the situation escalated so dramatically.

Commentating live on Sky Sports, Gary Neville could not hide his disbelief at how the incident was handled.

“I know there’s rules, but there’s a smell of the game, that’s completely gone”

As replays rolled on, Neville became increasingly frustrated by the intervention.

“There’s no football person, would disallow that goal. But it’s gonna be disallowed”

And when the red card followed, his verdict was blunt.

“Talk about killjoy”

The controversy came at the end of a frantic match that saw Manchester City fight back to win by two goals to one. Liverpool had taken the lead through a stunning Szoboszlai free kick, only for Bernardo Silva to equalise late on. Erling Haaland then sealed the comeback with a stoppage time penalty after Alisson fouled Matheus Nunes.

Even after Haaland’s spot kick, the drama was not finished. Liverpool pushed forward, chances were traded, and then the VAR incident overshadowed what should have been the closing moments of a classic Premier League encounter.

City’s victory keeps the title race alive as they close the gap on Arsenal, while Liverpool are left frustrated, beaten, and still talking about a decision that may dominate debate long after the final whistle.