Just 40 seconds into the second half of the 2-0 victory over Steve Cooper’s team, the Spanish international got into a fight with midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and was shown a straight red card by referee Anthony Taylor.
FEATURED VIDEO
Both Taylor, the on-field official, and those who reviewed the incident at the off-site Video Assistant Referee hub determined that Rodri had raised both of his hands towards Gibbs-White’s throat.
Now that Rodri won’t be participating in Manchester City’s next three league games this season, the club has decided whether or not to appeal the Saturday afternoon ruling.
According to a statement from MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, Rodri will miss Manchester City’s crucial Premier League match at Arsenal away next month since they have decided to appeal the decision to dismiss him for aggressive behaviour at the Etihad Stadium.
Additionally, Rodri won’t be available for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round match at St. James’ Park against Newcastle United or this weekend’s Premier League trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In response to questions about the Rodri incident, Pep Guardiola has said that while he personally would not want to appeal the decision, he believes a three-match suspension is too harsh for his defensive midfield staple.
Guardiola said, “For me, it’s not three games, that’s another point, but rules are rules,” after his team’s victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday. However, he must learn from it, and hopefully it won’t happen again.