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Sergio Aguero has said the “law of the barrio” compelled him to go to the defence of a Manchester City fan in a melee at Bournemouth.

The Blues legend was initially accused of assaulting a steward in the fracas, which happened after Raheem Sterling had scored a late winner against the Cherries in 2017.

Sterling himself was red-carded for celebrating with the away supporters, some of whom spilled onto the pitch.

But as players and fans celebrated wildly, stewards and police tried to intervene – leading to pushing and shoving.

One fan, who said he had been shoved onto the pitch as he made his way to the exit gate, ended up surrounded by four security staff and police.

Aguero had run over to join in the celebrations of a goal which sparked City’s record-breaking 18-match winning streak, but spotted the fan in trouble.

In new book “Pep’s City” Aguero reveals why he stood up to a police officer, an action which led to an official complaint about his behaviour – with no action taken in the end.

Aguero says in the book: “Sometimes the law of the barrio still applies – that same spirit, the same idea of fairness.

“I saw that they had got hold of one of our fans, four against one, and were practically smothering him. It was outright abuse. The guy couldn’t breathe.

“Then this cop starts giving me a hard time, so I tell him to f*** off. Nothing more serious than that.

“It’s the way I grew up and I can’t help reacting like that. Back home there’s a code: if there’s a fight and it’s one on one, you stay out of it, but when it’s one against four … That’s how I grew up and it’s something I still live by.”

The fan was Bolton student Zack Weir, who was charged with entering the field of play.

But no evidence was offered against him, and he thanked Aguero for his intervention in a recorded message.

The City striker was also accused of assaulting a steward but Bournemouth quickly dropped the matter, describing it as a “misunderstanding”.