Home Entertainment Erling Haaland’s Reaction to Referee’s Controversial Decision in Man City vs. Tottenham Match 😬

Erling Haaland’s Reaction to Referee’s Controversial Decision in Man City vs. Tottenham Match 😬

Entertainment — 12/04/2023

Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham resulted in fury for the champions, leading to a fiery reaction from Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland. The match took a drаmаtic turn when referee Simon Hooper stopped play in added time, denying Jack Grealish a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Hooper had initially waved play on after a foul on Haaland but then halted the game when a pass from the Norwegian set Grealish free behind the Spurs defense. City players surrounded the referee in anger, potentially prompting a Football Association charge, while Guardiola expressed his discontent to the fourth official. Haaland, visibly upset, left the pitch.

Erling Haaland was left furious at the end of Manchester City's draw with Tottenham

When asked about the incident, Guardiola responded with a pointed remark, saying, “Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment.” He referred to Arteta’s previous comments about a controversial goal allowed by VAR in a match against Newcastle, which Arteta had described as “an absolute disgrace.”

Guardiola also acknowledged Haaland’s reaction, calling it normal and stating that several players shared the disappointment. He suggested that if the referee had been in City’s position, he too would have been disappointed with the decision.

However, Guardiola refused to blame the referee’s action for the final result. He acknowledged that mistakes happen from both players and managers but emphasized that the draw was not solely due to that particular incident.

Haaland took to X (presumably a social media platform) and wrote “wt*” above a clip of the incident. The FA may consider charging him or Guardiola only if they believe the referee’s integrity was questioned.

The tҺrilling match saw Son Heung-min open the scoring for Spurs, followed by an own goal by their captain. Phil Foden gave City the lead, but Giovani Lo Celso equalized after the break. Grealish then put City ahead, but Dejan Kulusevski’s late goal resulted in a shared point.

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou indicated his discontent during halftime, aiming to instill belief in his players rather than expressing anger towards them.