Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on the pitch ahead of the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England on 10 May 2025 / Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca on the sidelines
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on the pitch ahead of the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England on 10 May 2025 / Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca on the sidelines
Peter Bankes did very well not to fall for one Manchester City player's awful attempt to buy a penalty during their defeat to Aston Villa.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Enzo Fernandez made an awful attempt at diving at Villa Park.
There were several penalty appeals between the two sides on Saturday, 24 October, with both Johan Manzambi and Iliman Ndiaye left disappointed.
Unai Emery's side would eventually see out a victory, thanks to a brace from Nicolas Jackson, and Erling Haaland only able to score once.
As Enzo Maresca's side searched for another goal, Fernandez threw himself to the floor inside the penalty area after a slight touch from Joao Gomes.
Despite the ridiculousness of the footage, fans continue to debate whether it was worthy of a penalty. Any difference in opinion has now been squashed.
Enzo Fernandez accused of 'diving' vs Aston Villa
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett almost laughed at Fernandez's dive, giving him a "nine out of 10" rating while re-watching the incident.
"There is absolutely no force in that push, and I go back to that original point that I've made in the past," he said.
"A push usually starts with the bent arm and the arm straightening, and that gives it a degree of force. What you've got here is the hands sticking out.
"There's no real force in that to warrant the player going down the way that he is. So he's not getting it from me. The referee's probably having a word in his ear to say, 'That's a nine out of 10 for diving and nothing else'.
"I think this brings up this whole scenario, doesn't it, about how you coach the referees in order to be consistent on these challenges."
What did Peter Bankes get wrong at Villa Park?
Bankes likely got all three penalty calls spot-on at the weekend, with Manzambi going down under pressure from Elliot Anderson and Ndiaye up against Ian Maatsen.
The referee was happy to get his cards out in other situations, though, and many will feel Marc Guehi was incorrectly punished in the first half.
He was cautioned after a battle with Jackson, one that he appeared to win fairly, only to have play pulled back. He was then hooked at half-time.
Matty Cash was also a victim of that. He accidentally caught Jeremy Doku in the 55th minute. Bankes could have just given a free-kick, but he cautioned the full-back as well. Harsh.