Roberto Mancini and Gerrard clash over Johnson tackle

MANCHESTER – Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard were embroiled in a war of words following the clubs’ League Cup semi-final clash here at Eastlands.

Gerrard’s early penalty gave the visitors a 1-0 first leg lead to take back to Anfield but Wednesday’s game was overshadowed by a late, two-footed challenge by Liverpool defender Glen Johnson on City’s Joleon Lescott.An angry Mancini claimed that the tackle, which went unpunished by referee Lee Mason, was worse than the offence committed by City’s Vincent Kompany early in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester United, an incident which brought the defender a straight red card and a four-match suspension.Mancini’s claims were not appreciated by Gerrard, however, and the Italian and the England midfielder had a heated discussion about the incident in the tunnel after the game.’No, I don’t think so,’ said Gerrard when asked whether he felt Johnson should have been red-carded. ‘It was a clear winner of the tackle.’I’m surprised at that (Mancini’s comments). He had a go at Wayne Rooney last Sunday for trying to get one of his players sent off. Now he’s trying to get one of our players in trouble. I don’t think that works.’Mancini, though, had a different interpretation of the incident, one which television replays seemed to support.’Johnson’s tackle against Lescott, it was worse than the one Vinny did against United,’ said the City manager. ‘Everyone could see that.’The world is going down because there are people in every job who make a mistake and do not apologise. I make a mistake and apologise.’This tackle was worse. Gerrard came to me and said ‘You said’…’Steven Gerrard can say what he wants for me, no problem. I said what I think. I’m used to being like this. It’s not important, Steven Gerrard or other players.’ The late flashpoint marred a match in which City slumped to their fourth defeat in eight games.Without brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure, on international duty with the Ivory Coast, plus the suspended Kompany and injured David Silva, City looked a shadow of the side that have built a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League. – Nampa-AFP

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