Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Raheem Sterling has received unfair criticism following a controversial penalty incident against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Sterling tripped when through on goal during City's rampant 6-0 win over the Ukrainian champions, having kicked the turf when shaping to shoot.
Referee Viktor Kassai incorrectly ruled that the England winger had been felled by Mykola Matvyenko, however, awarding a penalty that Gabriel Jesus converted.
Sterling subsequently apologised for not informing the referee of his mistake, although Guardiola insisted that the City forward, who has signed a contract extension until 2023, was right not to do so.
He’s going nowhere! has today committed himself to the Club until 2023! November 9, 2018
And, ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby, Guardiola has again come to the 23-year-old's defence.
"I think this time I realised it's unfair because I don't know why you should criticise Raheem," Guardiola told a news conference.
"It's not diving either. Tripping is a mistake, it was a bad decision of the referee.
"He's an incredible guy, he does absolutely everything on the pitch, fighting in front and he made a mistake because he's 23 years old.
"He maybe goes too fast, maybe he has to do it slower. Believe me, what the people said about this action I didn't understand.
"He will become stronger, he's stronger than when we met each other in the first year. Now, he controls these emotions much, much better."
