Manchester City star Erling Haaland has slammed referee Simon Hooper on social media over a controversial late decision in his side's 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Haaland was visibly furious with Hooper after being denied the opportunity to play an advantage in the closing moments of a thrilling Premier League game against Spurs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The Norwegian striker was among several Manchester City players to argue with the referee. Haaland later took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to further protest against Hooper's decision.
Haaland reposted a clip of the incident on X, with the comment "Wtf", which is offensive slang.
The incident that infuriated the City players happened when Haaland was fouled in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The Norway international managed to regain his footing to turn and send Jack Grealish clear. Hooper initially looked to acknowledge the infringement but waved for the play to continue. But then he blew his whistle to pull the play back for a City free-kick, leaving the home players incensed.
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) December 3, 2023
Meanwhile, City boss Pep Guardiola managed to regain his composure by the time he spoke to the media.
On being asked about the incident during a post-match interview, Guardiola replied: "Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment." Guardiola didn't want to provoke a Football Association charge like his fellow Spanish manager, Arteta.
🚨🔵 Guardiola: “Next question. I'll not do a Mikel Arteta comment”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 3, 2023
“It's hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he's already said play on. After the pass, the whistle, I do not understand…”. pic.twitter.com/MPX6GlXb1o
"Sometimes I lose my mind about the referees, but here no. Always people can make mistakes. It surprised me for the fact that he went to whistle when Erling went down, but after he stood back up and made the pass, the referee made the gesture to play on. But then when the ball goes to Jack, then [came] the whistle," Guardiola told reporters at the post-match conference.
When The City manager was questioned about Haaland's reaction following the final whistle, Guardiola backed his star player, saying "it's normal" and "his reaction was the same for the other 10 players".
Guardiola said that Haaland was "a little bit disappointed" and the referee would be too if he was playing for Man City. But the boss also said he would not blame Hooper's decision for his side's 3-3 draw against Spurs.
Following the draw, City dropped to third place in the Premier League table. They have 30 points, one less than second-placed Liverpool, who secured a dramatic 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday. After 14 matches in the league this season, Arsenal are at the top of the table with 33 points.
