Manuel Akanji has suggested that Arsenal resorted to tactical fouling to stop Manchester City players during the 0-0 draw on Easter Sunday.
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Akanji hits out at Arsenal strategyDefender accuses Gunners of tactical foulsLiverpool go ahead in title raceWHAT HAPPENED?
Akanji, who played the full 90 minutes, said he couldn't understand why referee Anthony Taylor wasn't awarding more free-kicks and yellow cards in the huge top-of-the-table clash, with Arsenal guilty of committing several tactical fouls in said matchup.
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Akanji said afterwards (via ): "When we got through, sometimes they stopped us with the fouls. If there's no action [from the referee], it's hard. I don't understand. One in the first half [from Kai Havertz] was a very late tackle on Stefan [Ortega]. For me, it is clearly a yellow card. I don't want to say just against us. There were also some decisions against them that I didn’t understand why he gave a foul.
"There are some rules and I think there are clear yellow cards where it should be. I remember with Jorginho when he'd already done a tackle [which was a foul] and did the second one and he didn't even give a yellow card for one [foul]. I didn't understand some of the decisions but, in the end, we still should be able to score a goal."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Both City and Arsenal dropping points ultimately benefitted Liverpool on a big weekend of Premier League action. The Reds came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Brighton just before kick-off at the Etihad Stadium. It allowed Jurgen Klopp's team to open up a three-point lead over City and a two-point advantage over Arsenal, with just nine games to play. But Pep Guardiola has already admitted Liverpool are favourites.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY & ARSENAL?
The Premier League title race remains on and the focus for both City and Arsenal in what is left of the season will be putting as much pressure on Liverpool as possible. For City, that sees them face Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the next two games, while Arsenal have Luton and Brighton. Both teams must then focus on Europe as the Champions League quarter-finals begin on April 9 – City meet Real Madrid and Arsenal are up against Bayern Munich.
