Man City 3-3 Tottenham: Pep Guardiola guarded on referee's late 'mistake'Man City 3-3 Tottenham: Pep Guardiola guarded on referee's late 'mistake'

The match stood at a 3-3 deadlock as stoppage time ticked away. In a critical moment, Jack Grealish sprinted ahead, presenting a golden opportunity to secure victory for Manchester City and shatter Tottenham’s determination once and for all.

Man City 3-3 Tottenham: Pep Guardiola guarded on referee's late 'mistake'
           Man City 3-3 Tottenham

Spurs had twice rallied from behind to draw level, but it seemed that if Jack Grealish maintained his composure, there would be no recovery for Tottenham this time. However, in a bewildering turn of events, the referee unexpectedly halted the game, leaving Manchester City furious.

Moments before, Erling Haaland had been fouled but managed to regain his footing, pivot, and set Grealish on a promising run. Referee Simon Hooper acknowledged the foul, signaled to play on, and City took full advantage of the situation. Yet, he abruptly reversed the decision.

Former City defender Micah Richards expressed his frustration on Sky Sports, saying, “How can you explain it? You can’t explain it. The problem I have is that we’ve had so many situations where play is allowed to go on. If you’re in doubt, just leave the play to go on, and you can always bring it back. That’s why City will feel aggrieved.”

Jamie Carragher, another pundit, attributed the referee’s actions to panic, stating that he “just panicked.” Meanwhile, Roy Keane, former Manchester United captain, criticized the decision, stating, “It’s a poor call. For some reason, he’s blown the whistle – he’s definitely got that wrong. I think we can all see that.”

‘I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment

In response to the controversial decision, City players and staff expressed their displeasure both at the moment of the call and again at full-time, where Haaland was notably animated in arguing their case. Manager Pep Guardiola, initially visibly upset, had composed himself by the time he faced the media.

When asked about the incident by Sky Sports, Guardiola initially brushed it off, stating, “Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment,” referring to avoiding provoking a Football Association charge as Arteta had done previously. However, in his Match of the Day interview, Guardiola offered a bit more insight, acknowledging that mistakes can happen but expressing surprise at the referee’s actions.

Guardiola noted the sequence of events where the referee signaled to play on after Haaland’s incident but then inexplicably blew the whistle when the ball went to Jack Grealish. Despite Haaland’s animated response after the final whistle, Guardiola deemed it normal, stating that the disappointment was shared by the entire team, including the referee if he were playing for Manchester City.

However, Guardiola emphasized that the draw was not solely attributed to that particular incident. Haaland continued his protests on social media, questioning the decision, while Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou remained unfazed, stating that the refereeing decision did not affect him. He added that there were better storylines from the exciting game than focusing on one refereeing decision.

Man City v Tottenham
Erling Haaland’s frustration was palpable in response to referee Simon Hooper’s choice to halt the game

 

3 thoughts on “Man City 3-3 Tottenham: Pep Guardiola guarded on referee’s late ‘mistake’”
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