Haaland and Guardiola Respond to Controversial Referee Decision Against Tottenham

Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola share their thoughts on Simon Hooper’s decision not to allow advantage when Jack Grealish had a clear chance on goal in Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

In the dying moments of the match at the Etihad, Hooper initially signaled for City to play advantage after a foul on Erling Haaland, but later decided to award a free kick when Grealish was in a promising position.

Haaland expressed his frustration on the field, and he continued to voice his discontent after the game by sharing a clip of the incident on social media with the caption ‘Wtf.’

Guardiola, in a post-match interview, was cautious in his response, avoiding a comment similar to Mikel Arteta’s to prevent potential charges from the FA. However, he admitted to struggling to comprehend the referee’s decision-making process.

Guardiola declined to make a comment resembling Mikel Arteta’s, stating, ‘Next question. 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.’

Despite this controversial decision and missed opportunities, Manchester City settled for a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, with Dejan Kulusevski scoring a late equalizer with a powerful header in the 89th minute.

Reflecting on his team’s performance, Guardiola expressed disappointment, 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 we made an incredible performance in all departments against a really good team and manager. We created a lot of chances, were aggressive, incredibly concentrated, and the feeling is that we still want to be there [at the top of the table]. Sometimes football is like life; you do not get what you deserve.’ The draw places City in third place in the Premier League table, three points behind Arsenal, as they approach a busy Christmas period.