Bernardo Silva escapes punishment for penalty incident against Burnley despite Sean Dyche's 'dive' accusations

Bernardo Silva will not become the first player retrospectively charged for diving despite Sean Dyce’s claim the Manchester City ace "cheated".

Silva won a penalty in the first half when the referee, Rodger East, judged Nick Pope caught his right foot after he touched the ball away.

Sergio Aguero scored the penalty and started City’s stroll to a 3-0 win.

The incident was reviewed by a panel to determine if Silva should receive a retrospective punishment for deceiving the referee to win a penalty.

The three person panel unanimously agreed that Silva was not guilty of simulation.

The FA has introduced a new offence this season called ‘Successful deception of a Match Official’ which could see players receive a two-match suspension for simulation or feigning injury.

Sean Dyche was incensed with the ease in which Silva fell to the ground and accused the midfielder of cheating.

“If your kid cheated in a maths test you wouldn’t go ‘well done’. You’d say ‘what are you doing?’ You’d go down the school and say ‘sorry, he cheated, he needs to do that again’," Dyche said after the match.

“In football it’s almost like ‘good lad.’ I find that really weird. Morally, I find that really odd. Accidental simulation, as the call it, that happens. There are too many in this league to be accidental.”

Silva hit back at Dyche’s claims he cheated and said it was a penalty. “He clearly touched me, I felt it,” said the 23-year-old. “He touched me and my ankle turned. It hurt a little bit and for me it was a penalty.”

“There’s an important line of gamesmanship,” added Dyche. “You have to stand for something and it’s just not for me.

“If my players get contact and go down, that’s gamesmanship and we all understand that. If there’s none at all, then come on.”