Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has voiced his frustration over what he perceives as consistently unfavourable refereeing decisions this season, following his side's costly 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Title Race Setback at the Etihad
The Premier League champions dropped two vital points at home against relegation-threatened Forest, allowing Arsenal to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points. City had taken the lead twice through Antoine Semenyo and Rodri, but were pegged back on both occasions by Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.
Controversial Penalty Incident
The match's pivotal moment came when City were leading 2-1 and striker Erling Haaland went down in the penalty area after knocking the ball past Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels. Despite appeals, no penalty was awarded, with VAR reviewing and clearing the incident.
Silva was unequivocal in his assessment. "If Erling is running and the goalkeeper just crashes into him, what can he do, just disappear?" the Portuguese international questioned. "I just think that all the 50-50s this season have gone against us – all of them, and it's quite frustrating because, at the end, it makes a big difference in the title race."
Diminishing Margin for Error
While City still have a game in hand and a crucial meeting with Arsenal to come, Silva acknowledged the growing pressure. "It definitely puts us in a worse position," he admitted. "Still nine games to go, which is a long way, but we're not happy. We wanted to be closer to put a bit more pressure on them. This feels a bit frustrating and worse for us."
The captain did accept some responsibility for City's predicament, citing recent dropped points against Chelsea, Brighton, and Tottenham. "It's on us that we didn't win," Silva conceded, highlighting the team's own shortcomings in crucial moments.
Forest's Vital Point
For Nottingham Forest, Anderson's late equaliser proved invaluable, keeping them outside the relegation zone on goal difference. Manager Vitor Pereira maintained a calm perspective despite the significance of the result.
"I believe we need to focus in the present, on the game we are playing, not to look to the future," Pereira stated. "If you lose your focus thinking about what might happen, this is a mistake. Just focus on the next game."
City's Crowded Schedule
Attention now turns to City's packed fixture list, with an FA Cup clash at Newcastle, a Champions League tie against Real Madrid, and the Carabao Cup final all looming. Silva recognised the importance of the coming weeks.
"In these few weeks we're not going to win a lot of trophies, but we can lose a lot," he observed. "This month can keep us alive to fight for the competitions until the end or it can put us down and we just go for one or two competitions. Hopefully, we will still be in all four of them in a month's time."
The draw leaves City with significant ground to make up in their pursuit of a fourth consecutive Premier League title, with Silva's comments highlighting growing concerns about officiating consistency as the season reaches its climax.
