Referee Simon Hooper has come under fire from Manchester City for depriving the side a chance to score against Tottenham Hotspur in stoppage time.
On Sunday, December 3, Pep Guardiola and company had a tough evening as Spurs held them to a 3-3 draw at the Etihad Stadium. Against the flow of the game, Son Heung-min gave Spurs the lead right away in the sixth minute. Three minutes later, he levelled the score with an own goal, though, which was an error.
After this, the Cityzens enjoyed a spell of dominance and ought to have grabbed the lead. But Erling Haaland wasted a clear opportunity and Jeremy Doku smacked the woodwork. In the 31st minute, Phil Foden completed a superb team play to provide Manchester City the advantage. However, Tottenham rallied in the second half, and in the 69th minute, Giovani Lo Celso’s goal helped level the score.
In the 81st minute, Jack Grealish scored his first goal of the season with a straightforward tap-in. Nine minutes later, Dejan Kulusevski valiantly headed the ball and looped it into the goal to tie the score at 3-3, just when it looked like it was City’s night.
In the 93rd minute, Manchester City launched a counter-attack, spearheaded by Grealish’s strong run. Despite being fouled, Erling Haaland managed to get the England international in the path due to his long ball. Simon Hooper surprisingly awarded City a free-kick despite the fact that Grealish was clear on goal.
??| Hooper blows the whistle while City were on the counter, he played an advantage first.
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) December 3, 2023
“He should’ve let play go on” : Micah Richards on controversial referee decision
Simon Hooper decided not to let play continue and signalled the Norway international for a foul. Richards criticised this choice following the game.
Former Manchester City defender said, “The ref had a good game, until this moment. He puts the whistle to his mouth, stops, waves it on. And then stops the play. Which I don’t understand. He should’ve let play go on, Grealish is one-on-one with the keeper. You can’t explain that.”
