Steven Gerrard slams referee Simon Hopper for being 'desperate on the whistle'... as the official's quick actions saw Philippe Coutinho's spectacular goal wrongly ruled out for offside as Aston Villa draw with Manchester City

Steven Gerrard has complained that referee Simon Hooper was too quick on his whistle as he prevented Aston Villa scoring a perfectly fine goal.

Philippe Coutinho was unfortunate not to have given his side the lead against champions Manchester City after he put the ball in the net with spectacular skill.

The Brazilian collected a loose ball in the Manchester City box, before dribbling into space 20-yards out and firing a brilliant curling effort into the top corner of the goal.

However he was flagged for offside by the linesman, despite replays showing that he was in fact in a legal position.