Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has claimed that his former side got lucky in order to progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
Having won the first leg by an emphatic 3-0 scoreline, a result which meant City had to score at least four to progress. However, the Premier League leaders got off to a great start when Gabriel Jesus got the host into the lead after just two minutes.
City scored a second right on the stroke of half-time, but saw it inexplicably chalked off by Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz. Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius came out to punch away a cross, before the ball ricocheted off the leg of James Milner and into the path of the Leroy Sane, who slotted home for what he thought was the second goal.
City’s celebrations were cut short though as the assistant flagged, presumably believing the ball had been played to Sane by a City player rather than Milner, and referee Lahoz subsequently disallowed the goal.
Speaking at half-time in his role as a pundit for BT Sport, ex-Reds midfielder Gerrard admitted that Liverpool had got lucky:
“It’s massive. They’re the things that need to go in your favour.
“As soon as I seen it and I seen the linesman flagging I thought Liverpool got away with one there.”
Liverpool went on to win the game 2-1, giving them a 5-1 aggregate win, and speaking at full time, he added:
“It should have stood and then you wonder what could have been from a City point of view.
“We were speaking about winning the Champions League off air and Liverpool could look back to this sort of moment that goes in their favour if they go all the way.”
The incident left Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola furious at the referee, calling him ‘special’.