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Manchester City Beat Schalke Thanks To A Late Raheem Sterling Winner

By David Crook

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 13: Road to Madrid branding is seen ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on February 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 13: Road to Madrid branding is seen ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on February 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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The VAR Controversy

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 12: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City wears the Respect anti racism campaign badge on his shirt during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Manchester City and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Etihad Stadium on December 12, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 12: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City wears the Respect anti racism campaign badge on his shirt during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Manchester City and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Etihad Stadium on December 12, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /

It took the referee some 3 or 4 minutes though to make the call whilst consulting VAR and this did not help the mood on the pitch as players argued. City clearly felt hard done to by this decision but worse was to come. A free kick taken by Schalke saw Fernandinho penalised for a foul in the area. Again there was a lengthy bad  tempered wait for VAR. This decision looked more suspect as there was limited contact and at least two Schalke players were off side when the kick was taken. Both penalties were well taken by the ex Spurs player Bentaleb.

City looked a bit shell shocked at this point and the game plan seemed to go out of the window for a little bit. Things were made harder for City when Otamendi was sent off for a second yellow card. Given his first card was for having the ball shot at him at close range and being unable to move out of the way, the red card felt harsh. This was a game where it was obvious there would be a red card and it was likely to be City.

Losing Otamendi forced a tactical reshuffle and it was this when coupled with the increased effort which reaped dividends. Kompany, Sane and Zinchenko all came on and we looked more likely to get a result, even without the focal point of Aguero.

In the 85th minute we got a free kick about 30 yards from goal and Sane struck an absolutely wonderful shot straight into the net. This was Ronaldo-esq again in its execution and Sane was muted in his celebrations in deference to his previous club. At 2:2 I was happy with the result given what had happened but just as the game moved into injury time Raheem Sterling netted a winner. Released following a 70 yard pass by Ederson, Sterling shrugged off a defender and struck a sweet shot past the keeper. Cue scenes of riotous celebration.

Next. How Mad March May Make Or Break City. dark

There was still time for Ederson to rescue Zinchenko from a melee with a Schalke player, shoving away all comers and receiving a yellow card for his troubles. And then it was the final whistle. Rescuing a lost game always feels great. Winning when not playing well can become a habit. We still have room to improve but boy do we always play to the very end. Cup Final next.

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