Keith Andrews believes Brentford were denied a clear penalty in the second half of their defeat to Manchester City, while Bernardo Silva and Matheus Nunes also avoided red cards in a match full of disputed refereeing calls.
Keith Andrews expressed frustration over several refereeing decisions during Brentford’s loss at Manchester City, particularly after Kevin Schade was not awarded a penalty in the second half.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews felt his team deserved a spot-kick to level the match against Manchester City, a decision that could have significantly impacted the Premier League title race.
In the 71st minute, with City leading 1-0, Kevin Schade went down under a challenge from Matheus Nunes. Referee Michael Salisbury waved play on, and VAR official James Bell did not intervene to overturn the call.
That was just one of three major decisions that went against Brentford as City went on to win 3-0, moving within two points of league leaders Arsenal, who face West Ham on Sunday.
“I thought Kevin Schade’s incident in the second half was a penalty. That was really disappointing,” Andrews told Sky Sports.
He later added in his press conference: “I can’t understand how he goes down unless there’s contact. There was a goal there to make it 1-1. That’s the one I’m struggling to accept.”
“The explanation I got was ‘not enough contact’. But for a player as fast as Kevin Schade, with his eyes on goal, I’m not sure how much contact the referee is looking for. Given how quick Kevin is and the nature of the run, it’s baffling.”
Reacting to the decision, former Manchester City defender and Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards said: “It’s tricky. If the penalty had been given on the field, they probably wouldn’t overturn it. But since it wasn’t given, they also won’t overturn it.
“Schade might have clipped his own leg while running. There was probably a little contact, but it’s a tough one for officials. It looks like his right foot hits Nunes’ knee and then he trips himself.”
One of the other controversial moments was an apparent swinging arm by City captain Bernardo Silva toward Brentford’s Nathan Collins. After Collins won a goal kick, an angry Bernardo made contact with his arm, but no red card was issued.