Sane and Sterling strike late on as ten-man Manchester City fight back to beat Schalke in five-goal thriller

Sane and Sterling strike late on as ten-man Manchester City fight back to beat Schalke in five-goal thriller
Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling struck late on as Manchester City overcame VAR controversy and a sending off to secure a dramatic 3-2 win at Schalke.The unfancied Germans turned the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on its head when they were awarded two penalty kicks in the opening half, the first after a lengthy and farcical VAR stoppage.Both were confidently struck home by Nabil Bentaleb, cancelling out Sergio Aguero’s opener, but Sane’s stunning leveller against his former club revived City’s hopes after Nicolas Otamendi was sent off. Sterling then stole in for a remarkable last-minute winner.4

Raheem Sterling was Manchester Citys hero

That assured City of the advantage heading into the return at the Etihad Stadium, but fallout from a clash they were expected to win comfortably could rage for some time.The main talking point was Schalke’s equaliser after Otamendi was adjudged to have handled, with play held up for around three minutes.It was unclear whether it was intentional and it also seemed the referee’s pitchside monitor was broken.It was a breathless encounter. Schalke, 14th in the Bundesliga, had largely been written off before the game and they began as if their only ambition was damage limitation.Chances duly arrived for City with Aguero having one charge halted by Ralf Fahrmann and then having a header saved by the goalkeeper.Kevin De Bruyne also drove a shot straight at Fahrmann and Aguero, looking menacing, had another couple of efforts deflected wide.Schalke contributed to their own downfall as City grabbed the lead after 18 minutes, with David Silva robbing Salif Sane and squaring to Aguero for a simple tap-in.4

Sergio Aguero celebrates his opener for Man City

De Bruyne fired at Fahrmann again as City sought a second but the visitors showed signs of sloppiness as Mark Uth seized on a loose ball and curled a shot wide.Schalke’s highly contentious equaliser also came after another City mistake as De Bruyne lost possession to Weston McKennie, who then released Daniel Caligiuri.Caligiuri’s long-range shot was deflected wide by Otamendi and initially a corner was given. Caligiuri, however, protested furiously that the City defender had handled and VAR eventually agreed after a delay in which there was much frustration and confusion.4

Man City players question the referee’s decision to award a penalty

Having been told there may have been a clear and obvious mistake, referee Carlos Del Cerro Grande should have had the option to review the incident himself.Yet while debate raged over whether Otamendi’s handling had been intentional, it was reported the pitchside monitor was broken and the Spanish official was told to award the penalty.The whole affair was farcical but Bentaleb did not complain. He accepted the gift and blasted home the penalty before repeating the trick a few minutes later after Fernandinho was adjudged to have fouled Salif Sane.Otamendi and Fernandinho were booked over those incidents, ruling them out of the second leg even before the Argentinian went on to have that rubber-stamped by getting sent off after the break.Sterling, De Bruyne, Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan all had good efforts early in the second half and Bernardo Silva wanted a penalty but nothing was given.City’s night took a dramatic turn for the worse in the 68th minute when Otamendi was booked for a second time for a poor challenge on Guido Burgstaller and had to leave the field.4

Nicolas Otamendi is sent off for a second bookable offence

It seemed City were running out of ideas when Sane, sent on to replace Aguero after 78 minutes, levelled with a brilliant free-kick five minutes from time.City had been saved and they went on to snatch it when Sterling took advantage of poor defending to seize on a long ball and score.

---

Manchester City smash Chelsea: Club apologise for playing Madness' 'One Step Beyond' at final whistle The club have since apologised for playing Madness' One Step Beyond, the song that
'Mocking' Manchester City apologise to Chelsea for playing

---

Newport vs Tranmere: Kick-off time, TV details, live stream

---

Celtic 1 Rangers 0: Steven Gerrard suffers first Gers defeat as Brendan Rodgers' dominant Celts come out on top at Parkhead Oliver Ntcham's second-half strike proved enough to secure all three

---

Arsenal boss Unai Emery is keen on Ajax star David Neres (Pic: GETTY) Ajax star David Neres scored a stunner in last week's draw with Juventus (Pic: GETTY) "Ajax does not want to sell." El Confidencial journalist Kike Marin. Mkhitaryan joined Arsenal last summer in a swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez go to Manchester United. And Gunners
Arsenal news live: Gunners hold talks for £34.5m star, agent

---

Marcelo Bielsa names confirmed Leeds United team to face

---

The English Football League (EFL) is to continue its investigation into Leeds United spying on fellow Championship sides. After a member of his staff was caught at Derby County's training ground
EFL introduces new rules to combat Leeds United 'Spygate

---

Manchester United news and transfers LIVE - Red Devils again linked with Antoine Griezmann, plus updates on Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku injuries All the latest news, views, opinions and
Seven Manchester United Players Miss International Play Due

---

Chelsea news: Blues' shocking record in second-half of recent matches after Burnley stalemate by: 161385360554578 — Talk Sport 23 Apr As the minutes ticked down at Stamford Bridge on Monday, fans desperately held their breath, hoping Chelsea would find that all-important winning goal, the one that would see them take advantage of…
Chelsea 2-2 Burnley: Blues miss golden opportunity to climb

---

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino will miss Liverpool's Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona on Tuesday night. The Egyptian was stretchered off during Saturday evening's 3-2
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino injured for Liverpool

---

Preview: Manchester United vs. Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups Phil Jones and Nemanja Matic have also Read more about Jose Mourinho Romelu Lukaku Marcus Rashford Pep
Manchester United team news and injury latest: The 10 players

---

Raheem Sterling Lauds 'Great' Jadon Sancho & Reveals Details of First Man City Training Session. "I was playing right-back one day in pre-season training and he spun me and I nearly did my
What happened when Raheem Sterling had to mark Jadon Sancho

---

Trending. Hail may reach the size of apples in several states; Robert Mueller Speaks, Amazon's New Echo Show, and More News 'He's been amazing' - David Luiz backs Sarri to continue with Chelsea
Chelsea news: David Luiz claims everyone at Stamford Bridge

---