It proved to be a frustrating evening at the office for 10-man Manchester City as they were held to a goalless draw at Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola made the bold decision to drop talisman Erling Haaland for the fixture, with Julian Alvarez given the nod up front. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were also rested as the Spaniard freshened up his side amid the congested fixture schedule.
City weren't at their usual best, although they did have to play the final hour a man down as Sergio Gomez was given a straight red card. Riyad Mahrez missed a golden chance to give Guardiola's side the lead from the penalty spot, while Rodri saw an excellent strike ruled out as the game was filled with VAR controversy.
Copenhagen grew into the game with the man advantage but didn't have enough quality in the final third to score a decisive winner as the spoils were shared at the Parken Stadium. So, with that in mind, here are five talking points from the game.
VAR controversy
It feels as though pundits and football supporters are talking about VAR every week at the moment after the technology was slammed at the weekend. And it stole the show once again at the Parken Stadium as VAR made three key calls within the opening half an hour of the game.
The referee, Arthur Dias, was advised to go and look at his monitor for a possible handball in the lead-up to City's first goal. He decided to change his mind and rule it out, denying Rodri his first of the campaign. Moments later, Dias went back over to his screen to deliberate over a potential penalty for City, which he gave as Mahrez missed the eventual spot-kick.
Then the third controversial VAR call came when Gomez was sent off after being judged to be the last man. But all three decisions seemed harsh from first glance, especially Rodri's finish, and fans are beginning to get fed up with VAR's inconsistency and handling of situations. VAR was brought in to rectify clear and obvious errors, but at the minute, the technology is causing more negative chat and controversy, rather than clearing up issues.
Nightmare evening for Mahrez
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Riyad Mahrez, who has found his minutes limited due to the arrival of Haaland in the summer and the form of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish. Mahrez was handed his third start in six days for the trip to Denmark as he looked to continue his recent scoring spree.
But the Algerian international had a night to forget as he was involved in a number of key moments during the opening half an hour. First, Mahrez was judged to have handled the ball in the build-up to Rodri's sensational strike, meaning the goal didn't stand and was ruled out by VAR.
Was a draw a fair result in Copenhagen? Let us know in the comments below!
Then, Mahrez was offered an opportunity to make amends from the penalty spot when Nicolai Boilesen was penalised for a handball inside the box. However, the 31-year-old saw his spot-kick saved by Kamil Grabara as the scores remained level. Mahrez's evening went from bad to worse as he was substituted for Ruben Dias on the half hour mark with Guardiola changing shape due to Gomez's red card.
Full-back worries continue
There is no doubt City have one of the most stacked squads in the Premier League, with an abundance of quality in every position. However, a position that they are lacking depth at the moment is at left-back, with Joao Cancelo forced to move over to right-back due to Kyle Walker's unfortunate groin injury.
Gomez has been playing in that role since the Manchester derby but the Spaniard will now not be available for their next three Champions League matches after his sending off in Copenhagen. He will be available to play in their Premier League trip to Liverpool this weekend, but his suspension in Europe does mean that Cancelo may not get a rest due to their lack of full-backs available.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand can play at left-back but he has a lack of experience at the top level, although Guardiola may chose to use him in the final two Champions League matches due to their dominance in Group G. Nathan Ake can also play in that position, while Aymeric Laporte has filled in when required.
Haaland dropped
All eyes were on Guardiola's teamsheet before the game as he deliberated about how many changes to make for their trip to the Danish capital. He made indeed made five alterations from the side that beat Southampton 4-0 on Saturday, with Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Nathan Ake, Dias and that man Erling Haaland dropping out of the XI.
But it was the omission of the Norwegian ace that caught the headlines as he was named on the City bench for the first time this season. The 22-year-old has scored 20 goals in 12 matches so far this season but was given a rest by Guardiola as City tried to complete the job without their talisman. They didn't manage to do so, although it was tough with a man down for around 60 minutes as Haaland was given the night off.
Unbeaten run continues
Although City didn't manage to claim all three points in Copenhagen, they did manage to stretch their impressive unbeaten run to 13 matches since the start of the campaign. Despite the man advantage, Copenhagen didn't look like scoring all night and City defended resolutely with Guardiola changing to a back-three when Gomez was given his marching orders.
It means that City have now picked up 10 points from a possible 12 available in their Champions League group and currently sit top as Seville face Borussia Dortmund in the 8pm kick-off. There is now a two-week break before City's next European game as they travel to Borussia Dortmund on October 26.
