Pellegrini hits out at 'unbelievable' refereeing after Everton defeat

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Pellegrini hits out at 'unbelievable' refereeing after Everton defeat - Manuel Pellegrini blasted the performance of the officials as "unbelievable" after Manchester City's 2-1 defeat against Everton in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.

Romelu Lukaku's 78th-minute header settled Wednesday's encounter at Goodison Park after Jesus Navas had cancelled out Ramiro Funes Mori's opening goal.

But Pellegrini believes Lukaku was offside when Funes Mori converted a rebound and was disappointed not to see Navas awarded a penalty having appeared to be hauled down by Kevin Mirallas in the box.

"He's [Lukaku] absolutely offside," he told Sky Sports. "It's unbelievable the referee or the linesman didn't give that offside.

"It's [the Mirallas challenge] a foul inside the box, he doesn't touch the ball, it's a clear penalty.