Manchester City's Bernardo Silva insists opponents MUST be sent-off for using ugly challenges to halt their sexy football
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They have delighted fans with their beautiful football — and now Manchester City’s bruised stars are ­demanding officials stamp out the beastly challenges on them.
Bernardo Silva claims ­referees must properly punish opponents who target Blues players.
Despite the long list of ­vicious tackles dished out to Pep ­Guardiola’s “artists”, Liverpool's Sadio Mane is the only opposition player to be sent off this season for foul play during a game — and that was in early September.
Silva insists this is unfair and spoke up after the mercurial Kevin De Bruyne and Brahim Diaz received rough ­treatment during Wednesday night's home win over West Brom.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
De Bruyne’s reflexes saved him from being potentially badly injured by James McClean before scoring City’s second goal, while Diaz was taken out late on by Matt Phillips.
The Premier League leaders are already without Leroy Sane for up to two months because of a horror tackle from Cardiff’s Joe ­Bennett on Sunday, which left him with ankle
ligament ­damage.
Yet Bennett, McClean and Phillips all escaped with just bookings, when they should have been dismissed.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
“The coach and everyone has spoken about this,” said Portugal international Silva. “We’ve seen with Leroy that it was a terrible ­accident and now he’s injured for two months — he’s a very ­important player.
“It could have been Brahim and it could have been Kevin before the second goal on Wednesday night.
“I think, as the coach says, the referees have to do their job and if it’s a red card, they have to give the red card. They have not been doing that over the last few months.
(Image: AFP/Getty)
(Image: PA Wire)
(Image: PA Wire)
“We hope that soon they start protecting our players because the way other teams are tackling our players, it’s not part of the game. It’s not fair play and they have to try to punish the players who play this way.”
Silva, 23, joined City from Monaco in the summer and feels referees in England let more challenges go than their French counterparts.
“France is really physical, I think maybe even a little bit more than here,” added the playmaker. “What you have here is the referees let you play a little bit more, so the game is more intense.”
(Image: PA Wire)
De Bruyne displayed some black humour as he ­reflected on his experience at the feet of McClean.
The Belgian star told referee Bobby Madley he should have red-carded the Irishman and did not realise himself how bad the challenge was until he saw it on TV.
“I didn’t know the tackle was like that and I’ve just seen it,” he said. “Let’s just say the ball was not in the same ­neighbourhood!
“The referee told me he didn’t touch me hard enough to get the red card. I told him that was because I saw the guy coming, so I jumped.”
De Bruyne claims City are frustrated they are being ­targeted repeatedly and says ­officials appear more keen to ­punish their fouls.
“Sometimes it gets frustrating for us,” he said. “A lot of teams are making a lot of fouls against us. We commit a foul, we get a ­yellow card and I don’t know how it’s possible sometimes.
“I know sometimes there are ­tactical fouls, but it’s just the way it is.”
West Brom couldn’t stop De Bruyne, despite kicking him, and his strike brought up the century of goals for City in their history-making season ­before Sergio Aguero made it 101 towards the end of the 3-0 victory which extended their lead at the top to 15 points.
They need just eight more wins to win the Premier League and De Bruyne says that ­interests him more.
“I prefer to win more titles than to be busy with goals,” he added.