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In a heated encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s star midfielder, Rodri, found himself sent off for a violent altercation with Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. The incident, which occurred near the corner flag, saw Rodri raise his hands and push his opponent, resulting in a straight red card.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean, while analyzing the incident on Soccer Saturday, confirmed the severity of the foul, stating, “He pushed him in the neck.”
The decision to dismiss Rodri was reviewed by VAR but ultimately upheld by Anthony Taylor, the match referee. While Manchester City has the option to appeal the decision, Manager Pep Guardiola’s post-match comments suggest that it’s unlikely.
Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri has apologised to the team for his actions and expressed his hope that Rodri would learn from this incident, emphasizing the need for the midfielder to control his emotions on the pitch. He acknowledged that playing with ten men due to a red card was detrimental to the team’s performance.
As a consequence of the red card, Rodri will be sidelined for Manchester City’s upcoming Carabao Cup game against Newcastle and Premier League matches against Wolves and Arsenal.
Despite Rodri’s expulsion, Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, maintaining their perfect Premier League record this season with goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland early in the match.
