Bell tolls for City

ROBERTO Mancini insisted his pain at Manchester City’s Carling Cup semi–final exit was not made more acute because Craig Bellamy scored the decisive goal.

After spending a year on loan at hometown club Cardiff, Bellamy finally cut his ties with City last summer, joining boyhood idols Liverpool for a second stint. That Cardiff and Liverpool will now meet at Wembley on February 26 is a dream for Bellamy.

Not so Mancini, whose personal relationship with the fiery Welshman disintegrated over a clear difference of opinion over how his fragile knees should be treated.

Yet Mancini shook hands with Bellamy before the game and the Italian insisted he was happy for the 32–year–old.

City once again came unstuck thanks to refereeing decisions Mancini felt were completely wrong.

He felt Dowd should have awarded a penalty for Charlie Adam’s tackle on Edin Dzeko, who scored City’s second goal on the night. Then, after Nigel de Jong’s brilliant curling effort had put City in front, Dowd awarded a spot–kick for handball against Micah Richards when Daniel Agger’s shot struck the visitors’ skipper on the leg, then flew up on to his arm. Steven Gerrard slammed home the spot-kick.

“It hit his leg before his arm,” said Mancini, before addressing Dowd’s clear indication that Richards had made the initial block with his arms raised.

Richards also expressed his unhappiness at the decision, saying on his Twitter account: “Not happy! How can I stop it hitting my hand if it hits my foot first!”

Mancini also felt Adam should have been punished.

All this, and Mario Balotelli as well. Mancini feels referee Howard Webb changed his mind over the Italian’s stamp on Tottenham's Scott Parker, robbing him of the forward for last night’s game as well as clashes with Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa.

“I hope tomorrow they can change tonight’s result because they decided about Mario after the game,” said Mancini. “The referee was there, 10 metres from the tackle. He could have sent Mario off at that moment, not after the game because he watched the video. That is easy. I can be a referee in the next game.”