'This feels unjust' – Man United legend slams ref for controversial decision during Man City vs Liverpool

Manchester City edged Liverpool 2-1 in a chaotic, drama-packed clash, but the post-match conversation quickly shifted from the title race to refereeing decisions and VAR controversy.

Gary Neville didn’t hold back, slamming what he felt was a moment of football magic being wiped out by strict rule enforcement.

The match had already delivered serious tension before the final flashpoint. Liverpool looked set to deal a huge blow to City’s title push when Dominik Szoboszlai fired home a stunning 74th-minute free kick to put the hosts ahead.

City hit back through Bernardo Silva, before Erling Haaland converted a stoppage-time penalty to flip the game on its head. With Liverpool throwing everyone forward chasing an equaliser, including goalkeeper Alisson, chaos followed.

Rayan Cherki spotted the loose ball and launched a long, low shot toward the empty net. As it rolled toward goal, Haaland and Szoboszlai sprinted after it, wrestling for position. Szoboszlai initially pulled Haaland’s shirt, with referee Craig Pawson playing advantage.

Moments later, Haaland pulled Szoboszlai back, both players hit the turf, and the ball rolled into the net, seemingly sealing a 3-1 City win. But VAR stepped in, forcing Pawson to review the sequence and ultimately rule out the goal, sending Szoboszlai off and awarding City a free kick instead.

Neville was furious with how the situation played out, especially the interpretation around advantage and VAR intervention.

“The VAR is saying you cannot play advantage, but then ignore that,” Neville said on Sky Sports. He then added the line that summed up his frustration: “That feels so unjust.”

Neville went further, saying: “There is no football person who would disallow that goal, but it is going to be disallowed.” He also branded the decision a “killjoy”, claiming officials had “killed one of the great moments of the season.”

Pawson explained the final call, stating: “After review, there is a careless foul by Erling Haaland.” He added Szoboszlai’s earlier pull denied a clear goal-scoring chance, resulting in a red card.

City still took all three points, but the debate around VAR, game flow, and football instinct versus rulebook precision is likely to rumble on.