Manchester City interim boss Nick Cushing claimed the officials admitted they were “wrong” to disallow Jess Park’s goal, which had controversially been ruled out in their 2-1 WSL home defeat to Chelsea.
Late in the first half, the midfielder curled home what she thought was Man City’s second goal. However, the referee blew her whistle for a free-kick before the ball had hit the net, meaning her strike was not given – leaving Cushing on his knees in the dugouts.
“There is a bit of frustration throughout the game for me,” he told BBC Sport. “At half-time we should come in at 2-0. Then I think with their first goal there is a tight offside.
“I’m sure they will recognise that as a moment they should have let play [carry on] and ultimately it is a moment in the game that has proven key for us.
“There was a foul on Laura Coombs a few minutes before that and we had a counter-attacking moment – our threat was coming from Kerolin and Jess Park attacking quickly in those moments and I asked for the advantage to be played.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Manchester City interim head coach Nick Cushing reacts to Jess Park’s controversially disallowed goal in their 2-1 Women’s Super League defeat to Chelsea, explaining his frustrations at the referee not playing advantage.
“The fourth official said she would communicate it to the referee. Two minutes later we score a goal straight after a foul and we didn’t get the advantage.”
Cushing later said in his press conference that the officials “admitted they got it wrong and should have played on.”
Sky Sports News has approached PGMOL for comment.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Anton Toloui gives the verdict following the Chelsea win over Manchester City
A City would have been the cherry on top of a superb opening 45 minutes in what was the third meeting in eight days between the two sides. Kerolin spearheaded the performance too and after missing two fine chances, rolled home Man City’s opener just after the half an hour for her first WSL goal.
But WSL leaders Chelsea came storming back into the game almost immediately after the break. Aggie Beever-Jones slotted home the equaliser with a fine diagonal finish, and the Blues could have pulled further out of sight if not for an inspired second half from Khiara Keating.
Kerolin celebrates after giving Man City a first-half lead against Chelsea
The Man City goalkeeper – who has had her share of troubles on and off the pitch this season – made a string of sublime saves, but she was finally beaten on the stroke of 90 minutes as Erin Cuthbert headed Chelsea to victory.
It was a deserved goal for the Blues, having dominated after half-time, but Man City too had their chances to establish a stronger lead. However, it was ultimately a split-second refereeing decision that may have cost them.
Aggie Beever-Jones celebrates her equaliser with team-mate Lauren James
The victory sees Chelsea re-establish their eight-point lead at that top of the WSL. It is the second time they have beaten Man City in their current run of four successive fixtures, and will be hoping they can take that momentum into Thursday’s Champions League second leg at Stamford Bridge, looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit.
Cushing’s side again lose ground in the race for the WSL’s top three. They are seven points adrift, after Manchester United beat Aston Villa later on Sunday.
Cushing: We have the spirit to keep going
Man City interim head coach Nick Cushing to BBC Sport on the disallowed goal:
“You look at the injuries we have too and the solutions we have to find. You saw one team bringing their key players in and the other bringing them off. That is an issue we will have to find solutions for.
Kerolin is denied by Hannah Hampton
“There is still football to be played… we believe we can win football games and that we can put points on the board.
“I am really proud of our performance today. You can see we didn’t play our fluid football in the second half but we defended resolutely and Khiara [Keating] was excellent. For me, that shows me that we have the spirit to go on.”
Bompastor: I was frustrated at half-time
Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor to BBC Sport: “It was a tough game for us. We were expecting that because we know how good City are and they showed it again with a great performance.
“We did better in the second half, but we knew if we wanted to win, we would have to put our all into it. A really important three points.
Aggie Beever-Jones celebrates her equaliser with team-mate Lauren James
“I was a bit frustrated [at half-time]. We had the game plan and sometimes I don’t think we executed it right. It happens sometimes. At half-time, it is my job to make sure the players understand my expectations and what they need to do on for the second half.
“We did much better, had 24 shots on goal in the second half, so I just need my players to realise they need to start like this from the beginning.
“Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition. As you can see from the last games, they have a lot of talent in the squad and at times made things harder for us.”
