Manchester City captain Kevin De Bruyne admitted he ‘doesn’t know the rules anymore’ after seeing an attempted handball by Emerick Laporte during the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.
City were flat-footed throughout the contest, and Tanguy were quickly on the back foot after Ndombele’s superb lob flicked the ball home expertly through the in-form Son Heung-min.
Just before the half-hour mark, City thought they had leveled the contest when Laporte fired home from the edge of the penalty area after what appeared to be good work from Gabriel Jesus. But the goal was disallowed when Mike Dean, under VAR advice, ruled that the Brazilian had handled the ball in the build-up.
“I don’t know the rules anymore to be honest”?
Kevin De Bruyne talks about the rules of handball and feeling tired after the first few months of the season pic.twitter.com/477n9JJXmR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 21, 2020
This led De Bruyne to admit to Sky Sports after the game that he did not understand the current rules regarding handballs, although he was under the impression that the ball hit Jesus above the elbow.
“I don’t know the rules anymore, to be honest,” De Bruyne said. “I thought if it was over the arm (over the sleeve) – it wasn’t a handball. Everyone knows he hit it there, but honestly I don’t know the rules.
“But it will be analyzed and the referees will say it was a good decision. I have been playing professional football for 12 years and in the first nine years no rules have changed, in the last three years a lot has happened.
De Bruyne cuts a sometimes frustrating figure / Clive Rose / Getty Images
“I don’t know why. Football is a good game, but the people who make the rules should be in the game.”
The Belgian, who admitted that preparation for the game was limited to just one training session due to international duty, added that City lacked their usual finesse, although a string of injuries did not help their cause. was
“I think we played well but lost that important spot,” he added. “We put Tottenham on three or four occasions – that’s good enough – but it’s difficult if you’re not quick enough in front of goal.
“It’s been up and down for us with players coming in and out. It’s hard for players coming back from injury to get up to speed immediately.”
The Premier League later clarified that Laporte’s effort (by MEN) was ruled out because the ball hit Jesus’ elbow, which fell in the ‘red zone’ of the arm, starting under the armpit.