Rodri suggests referees are unfair towards Man City after controversial Solanke goal

Rodri claimed referees are not being fair towards Manchester City after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Tottenham, saying Spurs' second goal should clearly have been disallowed.

City looked to be cruising towards a comfortable win at half-time, which would have put them four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, after goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo put them 2-0 up.

However, the second half was a totally different story as Dominic Solanke scored twice to earn a point for Spurs, with his second goal coming from a remarkable scorpion kick.

It was the first time City had led by two or more goals at half-time in a game and failed to win (in any competition) since April 2018 – when they lost 3-2 to Manchester United.

Before Sunday's match, City had won each of their last 115 games when up by at least two goals at the break, but their second-half collapse means they are now six points off the title pace.

And Pep Guardiola was angered by the decision to allow Solanke's first goal, after the striker appeared to kick through Marc Guehi's heel and knock the City defender's foot against the ball, which then trickled in. 

The incident was checked and cleared by the VAR, with the Premier League Match Centre saying Solanke was deemed to have played the ball.

City were also left aggrieved by multiple decisions that went against them in January, including being denied penalties against Newcastle United and Wolves, while Erling Haaland felt he could have been awarded a spot-kick late on against Spurs.

Speaking after full-time, Rodri suggested City's recent dominance means referees and supporters do not feel enough sympathy for them.

"I know we won too much and people don't want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral and for me, honestly, it's not fair," Rodri told Australian broadcaster Stan Sport.

"It's not fair because we work so hard in these situations and now to make these decisions... we have to move on.

"Of course, we needed to come back, but at the end, when everything is finished, we are frustrated because it's so clear, the foul. 

"He kicked the leg and, of course, with the push of the action on the ball, the ball goes in.

"We have to pay attention to these little things, otherwise it's going to be difficult for everyone because this league is like this – it's about small details and everything counts. I think today was a very tough day for us in this sense."

City will look to respond to Sunday's draw when they host Newcastle in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie on Wednesday, boasting a 2-0 lead from the away game.