Gary O’Neil claims referees favour Man City with ‘unconscious bias’ after controversial Stones winner

For the second time in a matter of weeks, John Stones was Manchester City’s unlikely goalscoring saviour, with a controversial effort that left losing manager Gary O’Neil accusing officials of subconscious bias.

The Wolves manager was at pains not to question the honesty or integrity of officials – in this case, referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Stuart Attwell – after Stones struck in the fifth and final minute of added time.

But, with Kavanagh having allowed the goal, disallowed it after consulting an assistant and then re-awarded it following a look at his monitor, the under-pressure Wolves manager looked back on an almost identical situation last season.

In that instance, Wolves had a goal ruled out against West Ham by the VAR, leading him to ask a question about the influence of human nature on Premier League officiating.

“I can categorically tell you that they definitely don’t mean to. They are 100 per cent honest and they’re doing their job the best they can,” he said.

“I just know that from a human point of view, it’s tough – like I feel different playing Manchester City than playing in the Carabao Cup in the first round. It’s a different feeling, and I’m sure they feel the same.

“I might be miles off, but it just feels like there could be something. If I had to upset someone in a street and there was a little guy and a big guy, I’d be upsetting the little one.

“There is something in there and they definitely don’t do it on purpose. I know they’re 100 per cent honest, and they’re doing the best job they can, and I respect them fully, but maybe maybe there’s something that just edges it in that direction when it’s really tight.

“There’s no chance that people are purposely against Wolves, let’s be clear. But is there something in the subconscious around decision making?

“Are you more likely to give it to Manchester City than Wolves?”

Guardiola bemused by goal controversy

The controversy here concerned Bernardo Silva, who stood offside and made contact with keeper Jose Sa before Stones rose to power in a Phil Foden corner, to the delight of Pep Guardiola.

Not surprisingly, the City manager had no doubt that justice had been done at Molineux.

“At the moment the linesman raised the flag, I said, ‘it’s a corner, how can it be offside?’” said Guardiola.

“The situation, at the moment of the impact from John, Sa is watching perfectly the actions so it’s well-given.”

But the manner of defeat was particularly tough on O’Neil who had hatched a near-perfect game plan to cope with City, one that came within 20 seconds of working.

And even a City loyalist like former player Micah Richards was compelled to sympathise with him. “He’s still in the keeper’s way so he has affected play,” said Richards.

“It’s that nudge that sends him [Sa] off-balance, he’s not set, so I understand Wolves at this particular moment.”

And Ben Foster, the former West Brom goalkeeper, added his voice to those sympathising with his former club’s bitter local rivals. “I’m far from a Wolves fan,” he wrote on social media. “And people will probably say I am sticking up for the goalkeepers’ union.

“But that John Stones goal should’ve been disallowed. Bernardo Silva backs into Jose Sa, which takes him out of a comfortable ‘set’ position.”

To make defeat all the more harrowing for O’Neil and his team, they had taken an early lead and looked capable of holding onto at least a point, in large part thanks to an excellent display by Sa.

For the third time in the last seven games, City found themselves 1-0 down inside the opening 10 minutes – they have trailed at some point in five of those seven now – only to respond and maintain the division’s only unbeaten record.

They did it the hard way when, after seven minutes, a long ball from Santiago Bueno sent Nelson Semedo away down the right and, with City’s defenders failing to fall back in sufficient numbers, his perfect cross was turned into an open goal by Jorgen Strand Larsen, arriving ahead of Rico Lewis.

It was a goal against the run of early play and City were quickly back in the ascendancy, although they could have been two goals behind after 18 minutes, and the contest could have taken on a very different hue but, this time, Ederson saved well from Semedo when he was clean through.

Josko Gvardiol brought City back into contention by equalising after 33 minutes as Wolves, for once, failed to close him down instantly and the full-back took Jeremy Doku’s pass before delivering a brilliant finish into the top corner from 20 yards.

“I do think it’s hard to be involved with Wolves at the moment, either as a supporter, as a player, as a head coach, as a sporting director or whatever it is, and not feel hard done by by the amount that’s gone against us,” said O’Neil.

04:35 PM BST

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04:16 PM BST

How goal happened

04:08 PM BST

Sky on the key moment

04:08 PM BST

Relevant law

A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:

• interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or

• interfering with an opponent by:

  • preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or

  • challenging an opponent for the ball or

  • clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or

  • making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

04:03 PM BST

Chain of events on the goal

Goal awarded, ruled out by the assistant, VAR recommended that ref go to the screen, goal reinstated.

04:00 PM BST

The man pestering the keeper from corners

Daniel Sturridge: “That is the role I used to take and Bernardo has done it really well. When the actual header is made, he is away from the keeper but he was [touching] him before. The keeper just wants him off him. So that is interfering, in my view.”

03:57 PM BST

FULL TIME: Wolves 1 Man City 2

A sickener for Wolves. They battled hard all the way but allowed City to have 18 corners. One of them was going to pay out sooner or later.

03:54 PM BST

GOAL! Wolves 1 Man City 2 (Stones 90+4)

Wolves have resisted manfully but those corners were mounting up and up. Eventually Stones has bulleted one in. But is this going to be ruled out for offside? No! It stands.

Bernardo is the man there who is touching the keeper. Is he interfering with play? Not in the view of the ref, no.

You can see why Wolves are livid.

Basically Bernardo pushed the keeper, then moved away from him. When the header came in, sure, he wasn’t interfering - but surely pushing the goalie a second previously is interfering with play, and indeed interfering with the opponent.

03:51 PM BST

90+ mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Nunes with a brilliant tackle, then hares forward and gets on the end of the ball from Haaland. That wins a corner. Soon another. And a third corner. And another!

03:50 PM BST

90+ mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Grealish the man making it happen. Five minutes added. His good work wins a corner.

Grealish himself! That’s a nice shot but Sa does well.

03:47 PM BST

88 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Good work from Grealish ends with Bernardo firing into the side netting.

03:46 PM BST

87 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

An old fashioned goalmouth scramble, ending in Jack Grealish hitting the target, albeit with a scuffed effort.

03:43 PM BST

84 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Kovacic off, Matheus Nunes on. The former Wolves man gets a generous hand on his return. Of course he doesn’t. He’s getting dogs.

03:43 PM BST

83 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Not quite happening for MCFC.

Grealish with a cut back, Foden shoots and it hits... Lewis.

03:40 PM BST

81 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

City get to the byline. Cross. Jose Sa-Frances Ha looks like he has got it but fumbles.

03:39 PM BST

Boo Jack

Grealish on too now - and booed for his Villa connections - but City have created less this half than last. Whatever happens in the last 10, this has been a good game plan by O’Neil, well executed by his players.

03:39 PM BST

80 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Goncalo Guedes comes on to replace the scorer, Larsen.

03:35 PM BST

74 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Pep has seen enough from Savinho. Here is Grealish.

03:33 PM BST

70 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Bernardo with a run, lays it off, Savinho has a shot but over. I make that four shots for the player but only one on target. His fellow winger, Doku, shot three times without hitting the target.

03:28 PM BST

high-impact

Can we all agree that, as high-impact subs go, being able to bring Phil Foden off your bench after an hour is a good ‘un? Mind you, it is taking an age to find a break to bring him on.

03:28 PM BST

66 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Forbs, badly missing an ‘E’ but there it is, makes an immediate impact and produces a handy cross.

03:27 PM BST

65 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Changes: Foden for Doku.

Forbs for Cunha.

03:22 PM BST

63 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Gomes and Kovacic tangling at the freekick, a bizarre sort of bullfight emerges as they get down very low and try to cuddle each other around the midriff. Possibly Greco-Roman themed.  Anyhow, the ref chooses to book the Wolves guy but not the City one and I have to say I sympathise with the reaction of Gomes. That seemed a clear six-of-one situ.

After all that, the freekick itself amounts to little.

03:19 PM BST

60 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Kovacic is fouled right on the edge of the box by Lemina. Tiny touch but down he goes. Kovacic looks like a hard bloke to me.

03:17 PM BST

Cricket score

03:14 PM BST

57 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Cunha breaks and charges forward and fires low and wide.

03:14 PM BST

55 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Haaland is being well marshalled - I guess this is the other part of the “let them have the ball out wide” scheme - and looking frustrated.

03:12 PM BST

Long half ahead

03:12 PM BST

53 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Reuben Diaz with a low effort from distance. Corner.

03:11 PM BST

52 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Haaland has been quiet. Tries a backheel now. Nah.

03:11 PM BST

49 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Savinho and Jeremy Doku have switched sides.

Well wings, I mean.

Not playing for Wolves.

03:10 PM BST

46 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

The second half begins in much the same way as the first ended. City on the front foot and winning a corner.

02:48 PM BST

Half time: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Wolves, looking tired and leggy at the end of the exam, are much the happier to hear that half-time whistle. They must be pretty pleased with the scoreline and their counter attacking play has been excellent. I feel that the City wingers, Doku and Savinho, are seeing way too much of the ball out wide but I guess it’s a deliberate tactical decision to give it them out wide and try to pack the centre.

Stat on Sky that City had completed 218 (?) passes in the final third, against five from Wolves in that first 45!

02:48 PM BST

45 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Superb close control and skill from a variety of City forwards, cage football stuff as they keep it in the Wolves area. Eventually Savinho gets the shot in. Well stopped by Jose Sa-Frances Ha in the Wolves goal. Excellent low save.

02:45 PM BST

43 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Doku wins a corner.

02:43 PM BST

41 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Lewis, eel-like, very nearly squeezes through.

The below is an interesting point.

02:41 PM BST

39 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

But Wolves are looking handy on the break. One counter now is ended by Savinho’s foul on the breaking Cunha, for which he is booked. And now another counter is snuffed out by some solid defensive positioning on the part of Stones.

02:40 PM BST

38 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Doku is being left unmarked out there on the left and he’s getting the ball again and again. That’s going to be a losing bet sooner or later.

02:37 PM BST

36 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 1

Wolves dozy, allowing City to take a short corner. Played in but Savinho blooters the shot a mile over the bar.

02:34 PM BST

GOAL! Wolves 1 Man City 1 (Gvardiol 33)

Woof! That is a cracker. Doku has it down the left, he slips it inside to Gvardiol. He takes a touch, he looks up, and he curls a glorious shot into the top far corner. Wow. A real beaut. Wolves probably gave him half a second too long to measure it up, but nothing you can do against a shot of that quality.

02:31 PM BST

29 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

I really enjoy Doku. Direct, tough, gets involved. Useful cross here now but Dawson reads it well and stabs the ball away just before Erling H can tuck it home.

02:28 PM BST

26 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Gundogan with a corner.

Ball reaches Savinho over on the right and he has a hilarious air-shot that delights the Black Country faithful.

02:27 PM BST

23 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Gvardiol with nice cross to the far post.

02:26 PM BST

22 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Semedo and Ait-Nouri double team Savinho to stop City making progress from a corner. It’s Semedo who gets the yellow.

02:20 PM BST

19 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Wolves so close to making it two! Semedo on the break, he races down the centre, it’s going to be one-on-one with the keeper... but Gvaridol has hared back, excellent commitment, and he just does enough to make it hard for Semedo, who cannot finish.

02:18 PM BST

16 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

More maroon for me. Maybe raspberry? Basically they’ve come dressed as Hearts, and that’s not acceptable in my book.

Wolves doing well but do look fragile.

02:17 PM BST

15 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Long since given up trying to work out Man City kit selection - or why they are wearing all purple today when they could quite happily have gone for the traditional sky blue. Regardless, the Purples were well on top before Wolves beat their press to score the opener and have had a couple of great chances in the four minutes since.

02:16 PM BST

13 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Toti gets the ball caught under his feet, Savinho tackles him, and Toti feels he has no option other than to rugby tackle the City man on the edge of the box.

Savinho himself takes the freekick, poorly. Straight into the wall. Doku gets a chance with the follow up but can do no better.

02:13 PM BST

Slow starters

I refer you to my previous comment. City finds themselves 1-0 down inside the opening 10 minutes for the third time in the last seven league games. Not a good look either, the way Strand Larsen was unmarked to tap in.

02:12 PM BST

9 mins: Wolves 1 Man City 0

Jose Sa with a terrific save, that’ll settle him (and colleagues). Goalie has been a problem position for Wolves.

City were looking to hit back right away and Sa made a superb stop to deny Bernardo Silva.

02:09 PM BST

GOAL! Wolves 1 Man City 0 (Strand Larsen 7)

Brilliant! Classic counterpunch goal. Wolves have hardly had a kick, it’s played out by Bueno to Semedo on the flank, chalk on his boots, and he then produces a wonderful cross. That’s a peach, it’s perfectly delivered for Jorgen Strand Larsen to tap it in.

02:07 PM BST

6 mins: Wolves 0 Man City 0

City are all over Wolves. Wolves have everyone back. Doku now. No way through. But City come again. Doku in a good move, but shoots wide.

02:05 PM BST

5 mins: Wolves 0 Man City 0

Wolves defend the corner well enough, and Semedo hooks clear.

02:04 PM BST

4 mins: Wolves 0 Man City 0

Haaland picks the ball up in a dangerous inside left position but there’s not a lot on so he recycles it. City keep the move alive and win a corner.

02:02 PM BST

1 mins: Wolves 0 Man City 0

City, for some reason clad in maroon, are pressing and snapping at the Wolves back line as the hosts try to play out.

02:00 PM BST

The players are ready

Wolves huddle. O’Neil looks pensive on the bench.

01:52 PM BST

Minor bit of good news

Killie have taken the lead over Rangers.

01:44 PM BST

Bench strength

01:44 PM BST

‘Anxious afternoon’

01:17 PM BST

GO’N

“Morale is fine. Today is tough but we have memories of playing them last season. We have real faith we can turn it around. We are looking forward to the games that are coming.

“Man City are a bit different now but [win over them last season] took discipline, bravery. You sometimes regain the ball very near your own goal.

“We are trying to understand the situation that we are in. Pep is never going to talk badly of us just before we play. People say how good a side we are but that does not help us.”

01:00 PM BST

Teams

and

Wolverhampton: Jose Sa, Bueno, Dawson, Toti Gomes, Nelson Semedo, Joao Gomes, Andre Trindade, Lemina, Ait Nouri, Cunha, Larsen. Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Rodrigo Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia, Forbs, Bellegarde, Goncalo Guedes, Pedro Lima.

Man City: Ederson, Lewis, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Savio, Silva, Gundogan, Doku, Haaland. Subs: Ortega, Carson, Ake, Grealish, Akanji, Matheus Luiz, Foden, O’Reilly, McAtee.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire)

12:59 PM BST

Manchester City’s women

are also in action this afternoon, as it happens.

12:38 PM BST

Can Man City punish Arsenal?

Good afternoon, hope you’re having a superb Sunday, restful or fun-filled as per your preference, or possibly even both. You join us for our live blog of Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City, it’s second bottom against second top and obviously on paper/pools panel, you’d have this as an away win. But we shall see.

City are on 17 points. Liverpool, who play later, are on 18. Arsenal slipped up yesterday and are on 17. This all means that City can go briefly top with a win. Their hosts are right down the other end, a wretched one point from 7 games and level on doal difference with bottom club Southampton.

Their manager, Gary O’Neil, has mounted a fighting defence against criticism.

“We’re good enough to stay in the league. We will stay in the league,” he said.

“We need to get it going and we need to turn it around quickly so people stop asking me that question sooner rather than later.

“I’m not going to say, ‘no’. And if I say, ‘yes’ people will say, ‘come on, then, you’ve got one point’.

“So it’s a tough question, but hopefully we can pick up a couple of wins and then people can stop asking me.”

“I want to carry the can. It is my responsibility. It’s on me,” he said.

“There is an understanding outside of here as to the situation around the football club. I think that everyone knows.

“You can look at what we’ve sold and what we’ve signed and how much has gone either way. It’s all there to see.

“But that doesn’t mean that we can’t be competitive and it doesn’t mean that I just get a free ride and say, ‘not my fault’.

“I’ll give absolutely everything to help the team and to help the club and then when someone says to me, ‘you know what, we don’t think it’s good enough, you’re going to move on’, then I can say, ‘no problem, I’ve given you absolutely everything, I hope you do well’.

“But that’s not how it’s going to end here. We’re going to turn this around.

“The players are going to give absolutely everything and we’re going to show everybody what a good team we are and that this start to the season has just been a slight shortfall against really good sides.”