'Worst penalty decision ever' - Twitter explodes as Sterling awarded spot-kick after tripping himself vs Shakhtar

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'Worst penalty decision ever' - Twitter explodes as Sterling awarded spot-kick after tripping himself vs Shakhtar image

Raheem Sterling's form is so good right now that he's been awarded a penalty for falling over himself.

The Manchester City forward latched on to a fine through-ball and looked set to test Shakhtar Donetsk keeper Andriy Pyatov with a left-footed strike as the Premier League champions hosted the Ukraine side in the Champions League Wednesday evening.

Sterling completely fluffed his lines however, digging his foot into the turf as he swung for the shot, taking himself to the ground in the process.

Despite the lack of contact with his opponent the referee still pointed to the spot, awarding City a penalty that they hardly deserved. 

See the video below, paying particular attention to Pyatov's reaction.

Sterling did apologise after the match, saying to BT Sport: "I went to chip the ball and don't know what happened. I didn't feel contact. I scuffed the ball. Apologies to the ref."

Understandably, however, Twitter had already had a field day:

Sterling's phantom penalty ultimately had little effect on the outcome of the match, as City stormed to a 6-0 win over Shakhtar. 

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