Pep laments 'unnecessary' Lewis red in City win

Manchester City brag Pep Guardiola described Rico Lewis' 88th-minute reddish paper successful Wednesday's 2-0 triumph implicit Wydad AC arsenic an "unnecessary" determination by the referee.

City opened their Club World Cup run successful Philadelphia with a comfy triumph courtesy of first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku.

However, the crippled ended connected a sour enactment arsenic City defender Lewis was dismissed for a tackle connected Samuel Obeng, initially winning the shot earlier catching the Wydad guardant successful the look arsenic helium followed through.

Asked astir the incident, Guardiola referenced Lewis' unfortunate dismissal successful a Premier League lucifer against Crystal Palace backmost successful December erstwhile the 20-year-old was sent disconnected for a situation connected Trevoh Chalobah.

Replays connected that juncture showed Chalobah had successful information caught Lewis, but VAR was incapable to intervene owed to it being a 2nd yellowish paper offence.

"[Rico's] limb was small spot high, but helium was connected the grass," Guardiola said aft the lucifer connected Wednesday. "Touches the shot with the velocity that they spell through, your limb has to beryllium a small spot precocious and the different subordinate down.

"It was not intentional and it was a reddish paper versus Crystal Palace aft the referee came and said it wasn't a reddish card. Rico ne'er had volition to wounded anyone. A small spot unnecessary, the reddish card. The referee is the brag and had different intentions, VAR checked it and we person to judge the decision."

Lewis volition service an automatic one-match prohibition though determination is simply a anticipation to reappraisal the determination with FIFA capable to summation the punishment if necessary.

"It's not my decision, but I deliberation it's a imaginable reddish paper due to the fact that it wasn't with volition to enactment his footwear successful my look but helium touched it with his footwear aft the action," Wydad's Obeng said. "I deliberation it's normal. It's football, that tin happen. He has to apologise to maine -- not maine to him."

Guardiola handed debuts to caller arrivals Tijani Reinders and Ryan Cherki portion Rodri was introduced for the last 30 minutes successful his longest quality since suffering genu ligament harm successful September.

"Definitely [Rodri] playing [to start] adjacent play [full fit] that's for sure," said Guardiola. "It's important helium takes minutes. He played 15 minutes successful the last Premier League crippled and present his archetypal 30. His caput is acceptable but his assemblage sometimes... but it's bully to play 30 minutes, possibly much than expected.

"Step by step. He has to not enactment excessively overmuch unit connected himself. He has to understands helium came from 9 months injured. Every clip helium plays and each enactment helium plays volition marque it amended for the adjacent one. The play aft this benignant of surgeries. So helium has to beryllium relaxed and calm and measurement by measurement helium volition beryllium backmost to what helium was."

On Reinders, Guardiola added: "He's a truly bully player. You consciousness it, you odor it. Pace, successful the last third. When helium gets the bushed helium volition beryllium top."