12 November 2023 , 19:07
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A furious Mauricio Pochettino had to be restrained by members of his own coaching staff as he screamed at referee Anthony Taylor following Chelsea's thrilling draw with Manchester City.
The Blues had played out an instant classic against the Premier League leaders in a barnstorming 4-4 draw. Former City star Cole Palmer scored an injury-time equaliser from the penalty spot to ensure the spoils were settled.
There were still plenty of added time to go after Palmer scored, with Taylor even adding an extra three minutes onto the originally shown eight minutes. Taylor blew the final whistle in the 111th minute of the game, but Pochettino was adamant it should have gone on for longer.
In response to what he saw as an early final whistle, Pochettino marched towards Taylor shouting and angrily gesturing at the referee. The Argentine could be seen shouting "What the f***" at the match official.
Eventually, two members of his coaching staff caught up with their angry manager and pulled him away from his path. Pochettino continued to look angrily at Taylor, who booked him for his protestations.
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Taylor had caused controversy in the first half when he awarded a penalty to City when Marc Cucurella hauled down Erling Haaland. The incident was checked by VAR, with replays showing the City striker had grabbed the Chelsea defender first.
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Mauricio Pochettino had to be restrained as he fumed at Anthony TaylorBut VAR Jarred Gillet confirmed Taylor's original decision of a penalty, with Haaland stepping up to score. That led to fury from Chelsea, with Pochettino wagging his finger, while Jamie Carragher slammed the decision in commentary.
"I think that’s harsh for me, because it looks like six of one, half a dozen on the other between Haaland and Cucurella. Cucurella initially is tight and aggressive with Haaland but Haaland also grabs hold of him," he told Sky Sports.
"This is not the right decision because VAR wasn't looking at the start of the tussle, he’s got hold of his shirt which allows him to get in front and then he goes down. It’s very harsh on Chelsea, VAR have only looked at the end of the tussle. I think it’s harsh, I really do."
Chelsea bounced back to equalise quickly through Thiago Silva's header from a corner. Raheem Sterling then tapped in Reece James ' cross at the back post to put the hosts ahead.
But a pulsating first half ended with Manuel Akanji thumping in a header to put City back on level terms. Haaland then slid in at the back post to convert Julian Alvarez's cross and hand City the lead again early in the second period.
Nicolas Jackson continued his scoring run by firing in from a rebound to again equalise for the Blues. But Rodri scored what he thought was the winner when his shot deflected in off Silva before Palmer ensured the spoils from an instant classic were shared deep in stoppage time.