Man City vs. Spurs Analysis: Pep Guardiola and Sky Sports Pundits Break Down Controversial Referee Decision | Football News

Man City Denied Late One-on-One in Thrilling 3-3 Draw with Tottenham

Micah Richards expressed bewilderment at the decision by referee Simon Hooper to deny Manchester City a late one-on-one opportunity in their exhilarating 3-3 draw with Tottenham on Super Sunday.

As the enthralling game neared its conclusion, Erling Haaland set Jack Grealish free for a one-on-one, but after initially allowing play to continue following a foul on Haaland by Emerson Royal, referee Simon Hooper brought the play back as Grealish gained control of the ball.

Referee Hooper faced the wrath of the Etihad Stadium crowd at full-time, with Haaland venting his frustration towards the officials and storming off the pitch.

City forward Haaland later expressed his disbelief at the controversial call on Twitter.

Richards, a pundit on Sky Sports, voiced his frustration at the decision, stating, “I don’t understand it.”

“The evidence is there for all to see, he should have let play go on,” Richards continued. “You can see on the fourth official’s face, he knows the referee has made the mistake. How can you explain it?

“He’s entitled to make a mistake – but the problem I have with that is how many situations have we seen where play is allowed to go on [so VAR can check it].

“If you’re in doubt, just leave the play to go on and then you can bring it back.”

Fellow Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane added: “The referee has made a mistake. It’s a poor call, he’s got it wrong.”

Sharing footage of the incident on social media, Haaland posted on X: “Wtf”.

City manager Pep Guardiola, when asked about the decision, refrained from making controversial remarks, alluding to Mikel Arteta’s previous comments about referees.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou simply shrugged his shoulders in response, while Guardiola described Haaland’s post-match reaction as “normal”.