Bernardo Silva claimed he is getting used to the brutal tackling in the Premier League – and admitted he would have jumped into the crowd and celebrated if had scored the last minute winner at Bournemouth.
The £43m summer signing starred in the hectic 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium which was full of physical challenges and controversial decisions. Referee Mike Dean was booed off by both sets of fans at the end.
Portuguese midfielder Silva said: “It's a very different league from the French one, from what I was used to.
"It's very physical. The French one was physical as well but here you have a lot of drama!
"In my opinion some of them should have been considered fouls but this is the way the league is, this is the way the referees analyse the situation and I have to get used to it.
“It's true that it's very physical and in my opinion sometimes it is too much but I need to get used to it.
“I used to see Premier League games on the television, and all the older players also told me it was a little bit different, and that they wouldn't whistle for little fouls.
"Here they don't consider these things fouls and have to get used to it. I am doing that.”
Raheem Sterling was booked in second-half injury time – then dismissed for jumping into the crowd after netting the 97th-minute winner.
“I would probably have celebrated the same way,” admitted Silva. “I didn't even know that was a yellow card!
“He already had one and got the second, I don't know why, I didn't see the images on the television.
“But I would probably celebrate the same way as he did. He's feeling happy because he scored.
"Unfortunately we won't have him for the next game but after scoring in the last minute he is so happy, because the most important thing is that we got the three points.”