"What was he thinking," "Absolutely loses his mind" - Fans in disbelief as Manchester City star Rodri gets sent off for violent conduct against Forest
Fans are reacting in disbelief on X (formerly Twitter) after Manchester City midfielder Rodri was given a straight red card for violent conduct. The incident occurred in City's match against Nottingham Forest today (September 23).
The Cityzens are currently winning 2-0 with the second half underway in their Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium. They will be hoping to win and maintain their perfect start to the season, despite being down to 10 men.
Phil Foden gave City the lead in the seventh minute, finishing brilliantly past Matt Turner, following an exceptional team move that consisted of 46 passes in the build-up.
Erling Haaland continued his reign of terror seven minutes later, heading the ball into the back of the net following a Matheus Nunes cross. Despite going into the break with a comfortable lead, chaos ensued thirty seconds into the second half.
Rodri got into a scuffle with Morgan Gibbs-White near the corner flag, resulting in the Spaniard wrapping his arms around the latter's neck in anger. As a result, he was shown a straight red card.
Manchester City are set to be without Rodri's services for their next three games - against Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Arsenal. Fans reacted on X upon seeing him sent off, with one posting:
"Jesus what was he thinking"
"RODRI SUSPENDED AND WILL MISS ARSENAL GAME AT THE EMIRATES"
Rodri's will be a big loss for Pep Guardiola and Co. The 27-year-old has been in phenomenal form as the central defensive midfielder this season, scoring three goals and providing two assists in eight appearances.
“It’s as if this were my first season" - Ederson highlights ambitions for Manchester City
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson recently insisted he is as hungry for success right now as he was back in 2017 when he joined the club.
Ederson has won 15 major trophies for the Cityzens so far, including five Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. His exceptional distribution has been a key factor in Pep Guardiola's side finding success over the years.
Ederson said (via Manchester City's official website):
“It’s as if this were my first season, the ambition is always the same. We’ll try to win every competition that we play in. This comes a lot from the players’ objectives, our mentality, maintaining focus and staying at that level."
He added:
"Of course, it’s difficult due to injuries but I see a group with a great mentality. We’ve seen this throughout the years as winning five Premier Leagues in six years is very difficult. So this year is no different, we have the same mentality, the same goals.”
The Brazilian shot-stopper became the third-fastest keeper to reach 100 Premier League clean sheets last season, taking just 208 appearances.