There was never a doubt in my mind about yesterday’s game. I was brimming with confidence, I was cool and calm and relaxed in my confidence in team and especially, in our manager.

(Any impressions given yesterday to the contrary were typos).

Because ‘in Ange we trust’. Oh. My. God. But do we trust. Even after that most horrible of first halves, he kept on message. The Ange message. The only one he ever gives. ‘Attack!’ You’re playing Manchester City at the Etihad and half your team are missing: take a ridiculously high line and attack. And in a quite wonderful second half, it just all paid off. As our constant pressure, coupled with their somewhat diminished approach in that half, paid off not once but twice. It felt like a win at 3-3 and it also felt like a total vindication of Ange’s methodology, the one which is pretty much the stated envy of every manager in the league, Pep included.

But then. At the ‘death’ of the game, in the dying minutes of added time, as so often happens for us at Man City, God stepped in to ensure that His team came away with the point they so deserved. The point which every football lover wanted them to keep.

Haaland was fouled, City were in possession, in attack, so the ref, rightly, waved the game to play on. Haaland got up, played an amazing through ball which took out 3 Spurs defenders and left Slightly Obnoxious Jack Grealish free on goal with just the keeper to beat. And… and… and the ref then blew for the free-kick, stopping play.

Why?

I’ll tell you why. Because he’s a good person who believes in right and wrong and the sort of morality that doesn’t want Manchester City to win games. Particularly against Spurs. And he was prepared to prostrate himself before the brutal court of public opinion, which comprises ignorant pundits, ill-informed media-men and professionally complaining commentators, in order that God was served and the right result was achieved.

So yes, his decision was ‘wrong’, but only in, like, a ‘footballing’ sense. Only in a, sort of, ‘against all rules of football and logic’, way. In the ‘broader picture’ of life, the heavens, worldwide conflict and downright HUMAN DECENCY!!!, he was right on the money.

And we had a totally brilliant game of football, negligibly interruped by the dreaded, cursed VAR. You don’t get many like that.

I consider it an honour and privilege to have watched it and NOT castigated the referee.

Very happy, if slightly relieved, Monday

A xxxx