“I don’t want to talk about that referee” - Manchester City star makes furious remark after 1-1 Chelsea draw

Manchester City midfielder Rodri lashed out at the referees in a post-match interview with Sky Sports following their 1-1 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, February 17.

City were on the back foot after Raheem Sterling finished off a slick counterattack to put Chelsea into the lead in the 42nd minute. However, Rodri became his side's savior once again, poking the ball into the back of the net in the 83rd minute to salvage a point for the Cityzens.

The Spaniard was not impressed with his side's display, criticizing the defending champions' lackluster defensive performance in the first half at the Etihad.

"When you defend like we did you can’t get more. We didn’t have a great first half... We conceded another easy goal, we have to defend better," he said.

However, most of Rodri's frustrations were reserved for referee Andy Madley and the Premier League VAR team.

“I don’t want to talk about the referee, but I don’t remember a game with so many VAR checks and none for us – come on man. You always see the face of the referee and it’s now, ‘move on, move on’,” he added.

Manchester City had a golden opportunity to cut the gap with Liverpool to just two points with a game in hand. However, even if they do win their game in hand against Brentford, City will still sit a point off the Reds, who humbled the Bees 4-1 on Saturday.

Manchester City remain competitive in the FA Cup (fifth round), Champions League (Round of 16, 3-1 lead in first leg against FC Copenhagen), and the Premier League. They could be on course to repeat their incredible treble win from last season, a feat that has never occurred in football history.

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Everton boss Sean Dyche notes bias in FFP treatment of his club against Manchester City

In the pre-match press conference ahead of Everton's game against Crystal Palace on Monday, February 19, manager Sean Dyche noted the Premier League's biased treatment towards his club's financial fair play (FFP) breaches as opposed to those of Manchester City,

Reportedly, Manchester City breached the FFP rules a staggering 115 times over the course of 14 seasons. Since a points deduction isn't feasible, an alternative punishment is likely in the works.

Everton, meanwhile, have already been docked 10 points for breaching FFP rules, with a decision on its change or cancellation still in the works. Manchester City are awaiting the outcome of an investigation into their own FFP breaches, although a verdict isn't likely soon.

Dyche was confounded by the partial treatment of his club and the defending Premier League champions, saying:

"We've been given a very general timeline and will probably know over the next couple of weeks. It's not just Everton Football Club or Evertonians. I think fans in general are scratching their heads and saying 'hey?'"