Kevin De Bruyne has claimed that Manchester City teammate Raheem Sterling did not deserve to be sent off in their 2-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The England winger grabbed the winner for the visitors in the 97th minute of the Premier League encounter at the Vitality Stadium.
However, referee Mike Dean was not happy with Sterling celebrating his goal with the City fans, showing the 22-year-old his second yellow card of the game.
Speaking about the goal and the subsequent red card, De Bruyne told the Manchester Evening News: "I was just looking and I saw the ball flying in and you know that you are going to win the game at that point. These are the moments that are very important and I think for us and for the fans it was a good time.
"To be fair I don't think he deserves a yellow. He stays on the pitch and it's the fans who are coming on to the pitch. I don't think it is his fault.
"I would understand if he jumps into the stands but he stayed on the pitch and people came to him. It wasn't his fault but obviously you get yellow cards for doing nothing and red cards for doing nothing."
Next up for City, who have taken seven points from their first three fixtures, is a home tie with Liverpool when Premier League action resumes after the international break.
Giuseppe Labellarte
