Why two red cards were shown in Monaco vs Man City as benches cleared amid penalty fury

Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw by Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with chaos ensuing in the closing stages of the match

Pandemonium broke out towards the end of Manchester City's Champions League match against Monaco, with two red cards being brandished and former Tottenham centre-back Eric Dier netting a late penalty to secure a 2-2 draw.

City took the lead within the first 15 minutes courtesy of Erling Haaland, who latched onto Josko Gvardiol's lofted pass before deftly lobbing the ball over Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Kohn. However, less than three minutes later, Monaco equalised with Jordan Teze firing home from the edge of the box.

It was a superb finish from the ex-PSV man, leaving Gianluigi Donnarumma with no chance. Despite this setback, City continued their offensive push and regained the lead just before the interval, with Haaland once again finding the back of the net.

The Norwegian, who had only seven touches in the first half, scored from two of them as he headed Nico O'Reilly's cross into the bottom corner. Pep Guardiola's side dominated most of the second half as they aimed to secure a second consecutive Champions League victory, but chaos ensued in the 90th minute when Monaco appealed for a penalty.

Dier was livid after City substitute Nico Gonzalez appeared to catch him in the face. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano dismissed the appeals on the pitch but was soon advised by VAR to review the incident on his pitch-side monitor. As the Spaniard made his way to the touchline to reassess the situation, tempers flared between the two benches over the potential decision.

City and Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had rushed over to the technical area to consult with the goalkeeping coach, were convinced it wasn't a penalty, whilst Monaco urged Manzano to reverse his decision. Eventually, after Manzano issued two red cards to the City backroom staff for their objections, he changed his original verdict and pointed to the spot, handing Monaco a golden chance to equalise for a second time.

Dier, who memorably netted a penalty for England against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, stepped forward and slotted home from 12 yards, sending Donnarumma the wrong way. City pressed during added time to secure a crucial winner but couldn't penetrate a stubborn Monaco defence and had to accept a draw, their fourth point in two Champions League fixtures this campaign.

Speaking afterwards, two-goal hero Haaland appeared frustrated. He told TNT Sports: "I don't think we played good enough. We don't deserve to win. We need more energy. We needed to do more of what we did in the first half. We dominated much more and then in the second half they took the lead much more. It's not good enough."

When questioned about the Monaco penalty, Haaland added: "I didn't see it. I don't know, if you kick someone in the face I guess it's a penalty."

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