“All 50/50s have gone against us” – Bernardo Silva blames referees as Manchester City lose further ground to Arsenal | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Bernardo Silva has uncharacteristically taken a jibe at refereeing decisions going against the Blues amid their title charge this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost further ground to Premier League leaders Arsenal on Wednesday night as goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson salvaged a 2-2 draw for Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium.

Meanwhile, a sole Bukayo Saka strike against Brighton and Hove Albion helped Arsenal pick up a third successive win in the league to go seven points clear of City, who have a game in hand over the Gunners and will play the north Londoners at the Etihad Stadium in April.

City were far from their usual, flowing best against Forest on Wednesday but twice took the lead – via Antoine Semenyo and Rodri either side of half-time – only for Vitor Pereira’s men to halt the Blues’ winning run in all competitions to six.

What did Bernardo Silva say about refereeing decisions going against Manchester City?

The nature of City’s 2-2 draw against Forest was controversial as the hosts were denied a penalty on two major occasions, already holding a sense of frustration from a series of officiating decisions that have gone against them in 2026.

In a candid verdict of refereeing decisions against Manchester City after Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Forest, club captain Bernardo Silva said: “We’re quite used to it this season because all 50/50s have gone against us. It’s the reality,” in conversation with TNT Sports.

“I’ve just watched, for example, the Erling (Haaland) incident (with Matz Sels) and for me, it’s a penalty. Some might have a different opinion. What can Erling do?

“As I said, we’re used to it. We know how it works. For us, our job is just to be better because these things we cannot control. What we can control is our own performances and that’s what we need to focus on.”

Speaking with reporters within the Etihad Stadium after the game, Bernardo Silva also said, “If Erling [Haaland] is running, and the goalkeeper [Matz Sels] just crashes into him, what can he do, disappear? The goalkeeper can just crash into someone? He’s not going to shoot, because the goalkeeper comes at him. So what, he disappears?”

Have other Manchester City players bemoaned refereeing decisions after losing points?

Silva’s comments come in the wake of Rodri’s post-match outburst over Dominic Solanke’s controversial first strike in a 2-2 draw between Tottenham and Manchester City in February, with City’s players aggrieved at decisions on the pitch increasingly going against them.

However, as the title race enters its final lap, Guardiola and his coaching staff will know that City’s destiny is in their own hands and that refereeing decisions do average out over the course of a season.

The Blues have not gotten the job done many a time in 2026 and have allowed Arsenal to pull away as far as the Gunners have managed – and there is zero margin for error for City as they embark upon their final nine games of the league campaign.

An FA Cup fifth-round tie against Newcastle United is next up for City on Saturday evening and the Blues must treat every game between now and the end of the season like a final – if they are to finish the season with silverware.