Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Roy Keane slam referee Simon Hooper after controversial call during Manchester City vs Tottenham
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Roy Keane slammed Simon Hooper for an erroneous call during the 3-3 draw between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Sunday's Premier League fixture (December 3) could have seen the Cityzens take all three points towards the end of the clash. With the game poised at 3-3, Erling Haaland was fouled at the halfway line during a counter situation in the 94th minute before he managed to keep his balance and send Jack Grealish through on goal.
Deciding against allowing play to continue, Hooper called for a foul on the Norway international. Criticizing this decision, Richards said after the match (via Manchester Evening News):
"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."
Agreeing with the former Manchester City defender, Liverpool legend Carragher added:
"They need to get to the bottom of this. It was a foul but to put your arm up and blow the whistle."
Keane was of a similar opinion. He said:
"It is a poor call, Jack is through on goal. He’s got that wrong, for some reason he’s blown the whistle."
Son Heung-min opened (6') the scoring for Spurs before finding the back of his own net and canceling out his opener in the ninth minute. Pep Guardiola's side then took the lead through Phil Foden following an intricate piece of football within the penalty area (31').
Giovani Lo Celso equalized for the north London side in the second half (69'), only to see substitute Jack Grealish put his side 3-2 up in the 81st minute. However, winger Dejan Kulusevski scored a 90th-minute equalizer that rounded off the scoring for the night.
Who do Manchester City play next in the Premier League?
After playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Manchester City will prepare themselves for a tricky away test at Aston Villa on Wednesday (December 6).
Following this result, the Cityzens are placed third in the Premier League standings, having racked up 30 points from 14 matches. They're three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.
Aston Villa enter their next match after securing a dramatic 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday (December 3). They sit fourth in the league, only a point behind Pep Guardiola's side.