Pep Guardiola tells Man City stars to ignore Premier League referees after Arsenal draw

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will tell his players that they should ignore the referee’s request to speak to them in the middle of the pitch going forward, after Arsenal’s controversial first goal in their blockbuster 2-2 draw.

The hosts fumed at Michael Oliver after he asked to speak with Kyle Walker over a foul committed in the first half, calling him to the centre circle, before Arsenal were allowed to take a quick free-kick before the England defender was set and back in his position.

Gabriel Martinelli was able to race down the touchline before pulling the ball back for Riccardo Calafiori to curl an effort past Ederson from the edge of the area, leaving the City contingent furious.

Guardiola kicked his own chair in frustration as his captain was among the City players pleading their case to the referee, but Walker’s complaints fell on deaf ears and the goal was awarded.

But the boss now wants his players to ignore any requests to leave their positions on the pitch, instead calling for the officials to come to them.

“Next time, I will say to my players when the referee says come and talk to me, we will not go,” he insisted. “They have to come to us.”

Guardiola also wanted more of a deterrent for Arsenal’s game management, which was on display on several occasions as players conveniently went down to kill time and slow the tempo of the match.

“I don’t know how many [Arsenal] players went down with cramp, but that can of course happen in a demanding game,” he said.

“We crossed and crossed and had Ruben [Dias], Manuel [Akanji], Erling [Haaland] but when you cross they have Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, so it is so difficult. There were ten players there. In the end we got what we deserved.

“Maybe I would have done the same because it is with ten men. You have to ask Mikel [Arteta] what the tactic was. They were good with the long balls into Kai Havertz who is so strong and they go for the second balls. In the end we were patient, had the chances and got the goal. That’s all.”

Another concerning element for City was an injury to crucial midfielder Rodri, who had to be helped off the pitch after going down holding his knee.

With a busy schedule coming up, Guardiola admitted he was still in the dark over the severity of the issue: “I don’t know how he is. I did not speak with the doctors.”