Here are the after match comments from Martinez.
"We have been on the back end of receiving a penalty, in the last seconds against Stoke," said the Spaniard. "Stones goes to slide to block the ball, Sterling does not play the ball and waited. In my eyes it is an area that is not certain if it's a penalty or not. I believe the referees should control their emotions and the referee did exactly that. It is impossible to be 100% certain and I am pleased he did this and showed his maturity."
What utter rubbish. The referee is there to apply the laws of the game, which say if there is a foul by a player in his own penalty area, then a penalty should be awarded against him. The referee is not there to control his own emotions, whatever that might mean.
How did Sterling not play the ball? He was in possession of it, and Stones didn't touch it. It is as clear a penalty as you will ever see. But even if the ball was with Joe Hart, it was still a foul in the penalty area, and the correct decision was a penalty.
Mind you, Martinez has history for talking absolute nonsense about City. When Weimann scored that offside goal for Villa against us in 2013 he commented that the linesman "did well to allow it to play". In other words, he did well to miss the offside. Funny, I've never heard him compliment a referee for failing to spot an offside against Everton. The clip is here, after 29 minutes.
http://www.footballorgin.net/2013/09/premier-league-2013-2014-watch-online_28.html
I've no time for the man. He just makes up stuff to suit his own agenda. He has no integrity or legitimacy in my eyes, but he strives to come across as erudite and knowledgeable.
I remember Martinez being a sore loser when we defeated them at Goodison early in the season. He was a likeable character once. I think he is feeling the pressure at Everton as the likes of Leicester, Watford, Crystal Palace, West Ham are performing better than them.