Alan Shearer feels that an apology is owed to Raheem Sterling.
Sterling was accused of diving by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger following the Gunners’ defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Sterling hit the deck under a barge from Nacho Monreal shortly after half-time of the game at the Etihad and referee Michael Oliver didn’t hesitate to point to the spot, offering Sergio Aguero a gilt-edged opportunity to put breathing space between the sides.
But the Arsenal boss believes that Sterling’s proficiency at simulation tricked the official into giving the penalty.
“I believe it was no penalty,” Wenger told BBC Sport after the game. “We know that Sterling dives well, he does that very well.”
Later that evening, Alan Shearer slammed Wenger for suggesting that it wasn’t a foul.
“There is no way that was a dive and it was a penalty,” Shearer insisted on Match of the Day 2.
Sterling, admittedly, has a reputation for diving but it did indeed seem to be a legitimate penalty on Sunday as Monreal only had eyes for the player and clumsily took him down.
“It’s one thing for Wenger to deflect from his team’s inadequacies, it’s another to question someone’s integrity and be wrong,” Shearer added.
“I think he owes Sterling an apology.”
City’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal, followed by Chelsea’s win against Manchester United later that afternoon, gives Pep Guardiola’s side an eight-point advantage atop the Premier League table and quite a few pundits already believe that the title race is a foregone conclusion.
And while City dominated for the majority of the game, Wenger feels like his side was hard done by multiple refereeing decisions.
“I feel the referees don’t work enough. The level drops every season at the moment and, overall, it’s unacceptable,” Wenger said.
“The third goal was offside. I am very upset because at 2-1 we were in the game.
“The third goal was the killer and it is by coincidence that mistakes always go for the home team, as we know. You can accept it if City win in a normal way, but this is unacceptable.”
