Manchester City File Complaint Over Officiating in Liverpool Defeat

Liverpool edged Manchester City on the run of play, finished their chances clinically, and then largely frustrated the league’s richest team on Sunday as the Reds ran out 3-1 victors at Anfield. The response from City has been, well, a little petulant.

From Pep Guardiola mockingly congratulating the officials after the match to City players saying they were the better side (they weren’t), their reaction has been to act as if even the idea of being beaten by Liverpool is against the natural order of things.

And to put a rather salty bow on it all, today the public relations wing of a human rights abusing petrostate has filled an official complaint with the league over the performance of match referee Michael Oliver—who got the game’s biggest calls right.

According to widespread reports, City have sent a letter of complaint about Oliver’s performance to ex-referee Mike Riley, who serves as manager of Professional Game Match Officials Limited and oversees officiating for all professional football in England.

The specifics of said letter were not revealed. However, they aren’t the first team to complain about the officials and the implementation of VAR this season, with bottom half sides Everton, Brighton, and Aston Villa also having lodged complaints.