Roberto Mancini has accused Liverpool's players of deliberately trying to "provoke" a red card from Mario Balotelli during the 1-1 draw at Anfield that ended with the home club checking reports of damage in the away dressing room and counter-allegations from Kenny Dalglish that the striker had only himself to blame.
Mancini's annoyance with Balotelli was evident as they clashed on the touchline, leading to a heated exchange after the match, part of which was picked up by television microphones. But Mancini's anger also extended to the Liverpool players, alleging they had pressurised the referee, Martin Atkinson, to show Balotelli a second yellow card for an aerial challenge on Martin Skrtel.
"I don't think it was a yellow card and I don't think the referee thought it was a yellow card," he said. "My impression was the referee gave a free-kick but didn't want to give a yellow. Then the Liverpool players went over saying: 'Yellow card, yellow card.' This is not correct.
"I'm disappointed with Mario because the first booking [a foul on Glen Johnson] was a yellow card but not the second. Mario has to pay attention because there are many players who will try to provoke him." Asked if he meant that Skrtel had exaggerated the challenge, he replied: "I think so."
Balotelli, a second-half substitute, had been on the pitch 18 minutes and there were reports afterwards that a door in the City dressing room had been damaged. "If he damaged the door, he will pay for it, just like his house," Mancini said, referring to the recent fire at Balotelli's country mansion, caused by a firework being let off in a bathroom. "He was disappointed with the red card and angry." City, however, later reported there was no damage.
Informed of Mancini's comments, Dalglish made little attempt to conceal his displeasure. "Sometimes if you look in the mirror you get the answer," he said. "Balotelli got himself sent off. His own reaction spoke louder than anyone else's. Sometimes he doesn't help himself. Other times he maybe doesn't get as much leeway as somebody else. But if you help yourself, you don't get yourself in that position in the first place. I don't think anyone was influencing the referee."
The feeling at Liverpool was that Mancini was trying to protect Balotelli from further criticism by deflecting the blame for a red card that left the Premier League leaders facing a late onslaught to hold on to their unbeaten start to the season.
"It's a good result for us because we played the last 10 minutes with 10 men," Mancini said. "We don't have a problem with Mario. He's young. We can't change Mario in one month, two months, three months. If he can [change], he can do everything. In the last three months he has been playing very well. He's scored a lot of goals and been an important player for us."
The draw leaves City five points clear of Manchester United but Balotelli will be suspended from the Carling Cup quarter-final at Arsenal on Tuesday, and it was an undignified end to a day that began with Dalglish paying an emotional tribute to Gary Speed and Craig Bellamy being given compassionate leave because he was so devastated about the death of the Wales manager. "Gary was like a mentor to Bellers," Dalglish said. "I took the decision because there are more important things in life than playing a football match."
