Pep Guardiola took a passive-aggressive shot at the officiating in Manchester City's clash with Leyton Orient after Nico Gonzalez's injury.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

  • Gonzalez substituted in FA Cup tie
  • Made his debut after January signing
  • Guardiola believes he has been "welcomed"
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    City survived a scare to beat Leyton Orient 2-1, despite conceding a remarkable goal from the halfway line, but Guardiola was disappointed with the level of officiating. Gonzalez, a new £50 million ($62m) signing from Porto, was on the end of a heavy challenge in the first half and limped out of the game.

    • Advertisement

  • Getty Images Sport

    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Guardiola believes, however, that Gonzalez will now understand just how physical English football can be. The 23-year-old will hope to make a swift recovery as he bids to get up to speed at the Etihad Stadium.

  • WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

    Guardiola told : "Welcome to the Premier League and the referees. Maybe he knew about the referees because I understand it's not easy. It's not easy to do something when you play against teams like in League One."

    He added: “I know without VAR it’s more difficult because they are not used to it and I know it’s a League One side, but there were one or two [missed] actions. There’s a penalty [that wasn’t given]. I think Nico now understands perfectly what [English football] is. I don’t know how hard [the knock] is, but he could not continue."

    • ENJOYED THIS STORY?

    Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

  • Getty Images Sport

    WHAT NEXT?

    City play Real Madrid on Tuesday in a huge Champions League play-off encounter.