Dermot Gallagher surprised Manchester City given penalty versus Wolves

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has struggled to defend the decision to hand Manchester City a penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

With the game still goalless shortly after the hour mark, Joao Moutinho was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area, despite it appearing to hit him under the armpit.

While the decision was inevitably looked at by VAR, the call was made to stick with the original decision, much to the frustration of Wolves and football supporters in general.

Although Gallagher says that he can appreciate why the decision was made during live-play, he offered little defence for the lack of intervention afterwards.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Gallagher said: "I can understand Jon Moss giving it because he sees the arm in the air and how tight it is to his arm. I did anticipate when it went to the VAR that it would be overturned, but they obviously thought it brushed the arm in some place.

"I wasn't convinced. I think it has hit him in the ribs. If it hits his arm, it hits him on the sleeve. For me, it wasn't a penalty, but VAR felt there was a chance that it brushed his arm and went with the referee's decision."

Wolves, who played with 10 men for the second half, ultimately lost out by a 1-0 scoreline at the Etihad Stadium, leading to criticism from head coach Bruno Lage and captain Conor Coady.