Sterling went on to score a hat-trick against Watford
Raheem Sterling scored a controversial opener for Manchester City in their meeting with Watford on Saturday evening.
Having held the Premier League champions in a goalless first 45, Watford fell behind in the opening seconds of the second half at The Etihad as Raheem Sterling scored despite appearing to be in an offside position.
Replays showed that the English international had been offside when Sergio Aguero had chested the ball into his path, prompting the linesman to raise his flag. However, presumably because the ball had been touched on to Sterling’s leg by a sliding tackle from Daryl Janmaat, referee Paul Tierney opted to overrule his assistant and award the goal – much to the annoyance of Watford’s players.
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Though Janmaat clearly did touch the ball before Sterling, it’s impossible to say that the City forward’s position didn’t influence his decision to attempt a slide tackle. With that in mind, Watford’s sense of injustice was understandable.
To make matter worse for the visitors, the former Liverpool player doubled City’s lead three minutes later before scoring a third just before the half-hour mark.
Gerard Deulofeu pulled one back for Watford later on, scoring with his first touch after coming on as a substitute.
