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Guardiola apologizes to Swansea for this illegal qualification
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he did not understand why the auxiliary video system had not been used in Swansea City after a controversial arbitration had helped his team to beat a 3-2 win in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Replaced by two goals at Stade Libertade, City has secured a semifinal spot for the second time in three seasons and maintains its hopes of winning an unprecedented four-time Premier League title.
But second-tier rival Swansea would feel unfair about two late goals for Citi that would almost certainly not be counted if the video-assisted system was in place.
A penalty was inflicted on City 12 minutes later, although the TV reruns showed that Cameron Carter-Vickers of Swansea kept the ball intact without fail to Rahim Sterling.
Sergio Aguero made the penalty and went into the ball after hitting goaltender and goalkeeper Christopher Nordfeldt.
There was more controversy in the 88th minute as Aguero was in an offside position before scoring.
But the video help system was not available for review after English football officials decided to limit themselves to the Premier League club cup matches.
Guardiola, a supporter of the videoconferencing system, does not agree with the policy.
"I'm sorry to sneak in. I do not understand why we have not used the video rule of the referee at this point," Guardiola said. "I hope this will not happen next season.
"We were really lucky at the penalty but we need luck, especially when you play four tournaments."
Guardiola, however, paid tribute to his team's 2-1 win over the club, winning all competitions for the first time since taking control.
"During the break, we discussed the need for a goal and after the goal, the rest would be easier," he added.
"After scoring, we had a lot of chances, but the fighting spirit and determination helped us win the game."
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