Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola have both reacted to Simon Hooper’s decision not to play advantage when Jack Grealish was through on goal late in Man City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
In added time at the end of the clash between City and Spurs at the Etihad, Hooper appeared to initially indicating Man City to play advantage when Erling Haaland was chopped down on the half-way line by Emerson Royal, before then opting to blow his whistle for a free kick when said advantage was played and Grealish had found himself clean through on goal.
Haaland and his teammate were notably furious with the decision on the pitch, and the striker has vented his fury in the immediate aftermath of the game too, taking to X to repost a clip of the incident with the caption: “Wtf”.
Manager Guardiola was asked about the bizarre decision from Hooper during a post-match interview, replying that, while he did not want to “do a Mikel Arteta comment” for fear of being charged by the FA, he struggled to “understand” the referee’s thought process.
“Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment. It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action.”
Having seen this decision go against City, and a number of chances surprisingly spurned by the likes of Haaland in the game, Guardiola’s side were forced to settle for a draw after Dejan Kulusevski made it 3-3 via a thumping header in the 89th minute.
Speaking about his side’s performances, Guardiola insist that his team ‘did not get what they deserved’ from the game at the Etihad Stadium saying:
“It was a good game, that is the most important thing. It was a pity, same as the Liverpool game, I had the feeling that today that we made an incredible performance in all departments, against a really good team and manager and how they play. We created a lot of chances, we were aggressive, incredibly concentrated, and the feeling is that we still want to be there [at the top of the table]. It is a pity. Sometimes football is like life, you do not get what you deserve.”
The result leaves the Cityzens in third place in the Premier League table, three points behind Arsenal heading into a busy Christmas period.
What we know
- Haaland has taken to X to vent his fury at a decision by Simon Hooper
- The referee blew the whistle for a Man City free kick when Jack Grealish was through on goal
- Man City drew 3-3 with Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
