Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg has slammed Manchester City star Rodri for his role in a contentious penalty decision in the Manchester derby on Sunday. It comes as the Spaniard has recently made his return to action for the current champions following on from a suspension.

That ban came for violent conduct in his side's match with Nottingham Forest, with a straight red card putting him out of action for three games. The Cityzens happened to lose all three, with defeats to Newcastle in the cup, Wolves in the league before their trip to the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal.

The Gunners ran out 1-0 winners from the tie, eventually leapfrogging their opponents and earning an early psychological advantage in the title race. It comes as little surprise though that once Rodri has returned for City, their form and performances have started to pick up in recent weeks.

With just a few points separating the four teams chasing the title at the top of the league, there will be games each week that can cause teams to trip and stumble. The latest possible obstacle for Pep Guardiola was the Manchester derby away at Manchester United.

While the home side had started on the front foot, there was a turning point in the game as Rodri went to ground in the penalty area from a tug of the shirt by Rasmus Hojlund. While the contact seemed light, VAR checked the challenge and deemed it a foul, giving a penalty that eventually opened the scoring.

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City went on to a comfortable victory, keeping them firmly in the hunt for the title this season with a lot of games left to go before it concludes. However, there were plenty of questions surrounding the refereeing decision early in the game and whether it should have been given.

For former Arsenal star Ljungberg, it shouldn't have been a penalty as he gave some harsh words to Man City star Rodri's role in the decision. He told Viaplay: "I don’t like that sort of thing. Maybe he [Hojlund] does touch him with his arm, but Rodri weighs 90 kilograms. He threw himself to the ground.”

It remains to be seen whether this will have a huge impact on the title race come the end of the season, however the backlash and refereeing from here on may well be impacted depending on how it is viewed by those at the top.