Manchester City’s 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur was marred by controversy in stoppage time after referee Simon Hooper failed to play an advantage for what appeared to be a goalscoring opportunity.
Following Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th-minute equaliser, an incident occurred when Hooper called for a foul on Erling Haaland instead of allowing play to continue, with City still in possession and Jack Grealish poised to burst through on goal.
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The Athletic explains what happened, the rules of playing advantages and why VAR didn’t intervene on the decision.
What happened?
Midfielder Rodri played a pass towards Haaland, who was fouled by Emerson Royal. The striker, however, managed to retain the ball and play a pass over the top for Grealish who was through on goal.
Referee Hooper allowed play to continue but eventually blew his whistle and awarded City a free kick instead of playing the advantage. City players, led by Haaland, were furious at the decision and surrounded Hooper to make their feelings known.
Replays appeared to show Hooper initially signalling for a foul, but did not blow his whistle, allowing play to continue.
Analysis on Sky Sports after the final whistle suggested that Hooper only blew his whistle seconds later, after Haaland had played the ball over the top of the Spurs defence for Grealish to run onto.
What the law says
International Football Association Board (IFAB) say that the referee signals advantage “by extending one or both arms forward at shoulder height”.
The referee should only play advantage if:
- There is a real benefit for the non-offending team
- No player is seriously injured
- There is no risk of a reaction or a confrontation
The referee must make a quick, tactical decision and should remember that:
- Allowing play to continue is not always in the best interests of the non-offending team, e.g. if they are in or near their own penalty area and/or under pressure
- A free kick in an attacking situation may be better for the non-offending team than allowing play to continue”
They add that “the referee can wait a few seconds to allow a possible advantage to develop, and if the non-offending team does not benefit and gains no advantage, the original free kick can be given. However, the non-offending team should not be given two chances, for example if a player is fouled but recovers and has a shot at goal; if the player does not score, the referee cannot go back and give a free kick for the original offence”.
Could VAR have intervened?
IFAB say VAR may assist the referee only in the event of a ‘clear and obvious error’ or ‘serious missed incident’ in relation to:
a. Goal/no goal
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b. Penalty/no penalty
c. Direct red card (not second yellow card/caution)
d. Mistaken identity (when the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player of the offending team)
Accordingly, because this was an on-field decision that didn’t fall into any of the above four categories, the VAR is unable to intervene.
What was said?
Haaland, who appeared furious after walking straight down the tunnel, expressed his frustrations on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the game.
Wtf
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) December 3, 2023
Manager Pep Guardiola remained coy on the decision and refused to be critical of Hooper when asked about it by Sky Sports.
“Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment,” he said. “It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action.”
Later, he added: “I don’t want to criticise them (the referees), sometimes on the touchline I lose my mind, but here I don’t like to comment. We didn’t draw because of that.”
Son Heung-min put Tottenham ahead before scoring an own goal three minutes later inside the first half.
Phil Foden restored the lead for City with a cool finish, but Giovani Lo Celso equalised in the 69th minute with a curling effort that squeezed past goalkeeper Ederson.
Grealish thought he had won the game after tapping in from close range with nine minutes left, but Kulusevski’s late intervention ensured Tottenham avoided a fourth successive Premier League defeat.
Hooper, meanwhile, is scheduled to be the referee between Sheffield United and Liverpool on Wednesday, December 6.
GO DEEPER
The Briefing: Manchester City 3-3 Tottenham - Does this draw vindicate Postecoglou's tactics?
(Photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
