By Kieran King

Copyright irishmirror

Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Monaco ended in pandemonium as two red cards were brandished and ex-Spurs defender Eric Dier netted a last-minute penalty to secure a 2-2 draw. City took the lead within the first 15 minutes courtesy of Erling Haaland, who latched onto Josko Gvardiol’s lofted pass before deftly lobbing the ball over Monaco’s keeper Philipp Kohn. However, less than three minutes later, Monaco equalised with Jordan Teze smashing home a shot from the edge of the box. The former PSV player’s superb finish left Gianluigi Donnarumma with no chance. Despite this setback, City continued their offensive push and regained the lead just before the break, with Haaland once again finding the back of the net. The Norwegian, who had only seven touches in the first half, scored from two of them as he nodded Nico O’Reilly’s cross into the bottom corner. Pep Guardiola’s men dominated most of the second half, aiming to secure their second consecutive Champions League victory. However, chaos ensued in the 90th minute when Monaco appealed for a penalty, reports the Mirror . Dier was livid after City substitute Nico Gonzalez seemed to strike him in the face. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano initially dismissed the appeals on the pitch but was soon advised by VAR to review the incident on his pitch-side monitor. As the Spanish official made his way to the touchline to reassess the situation, tempers flared between the two benches over the potential decision. City and Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had dashed over to the technical area to confer with the goalkeeping coach, were convinced it wasn’t a penalty, whilst Monaco urged Manzano to reverse his decision. Eventually, after Manzano brandished two red cards to City’s backroom staff for their objections, he overturned his original call and pointed to the spot, handing Monaco a golden chance to equalise for a second time. Dier, who memorably netted a penalty for England against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, stepped forward and slotted home from 12 yards, sending Donnarumma the wrong way. City pressed during added time to secure a crucial winner but couldn’t penetrate a stubborn Monaco defence and had to accept a point, their fourth from two Champions League fixtures this campaign. Speaking afterwards, two-goal hero Haaland appeared dejected. He told TNT Sports: “I don’t think we played good enough. We don’t deserve to win. “We need more energy. We needed to do more of what we did in the first half. We dominated much more and then in the second half they took the lead much more. It’s not good enough.” When questioned about Monaco’s penalty, Haaland added: “I didn’t see it. I don’t know, if you kick someone in the face I guess it’s a penalty.”