Gary Neville expressed his confusion over a contentious call in the Man City vs. Spurs draw that left many players, including Erling Haaland, furious with referee Simon Hooper. Neville, commentating on the game, was perplexed by Hooper’s decision not to allow play to continue when Jack Grealish was through on goal in extra time.
The incident, which occurred towards the end of the match, triggered a wave of anger among Manchester City players, with Haaland notably upset. Haaland, visibly frustrated, confronted Hooper after the final whistle, expressing his displeasure with explicit language, as reported on social media.
During the broadcast, Gary Neville remarked, “Oh no! What did Simon Hooper do there? He played on to begin with. That is a very strange one.” The confusion lingered even after the match, as the players and pundits alike tried to make sense of Hooper’s decision.
A video replay shown on Sky Sports after the game indicated that Hooper seemed to blow the whistle after Grealish was played in, rather than after the foul on Haaland. Micah Richards, commenting on the footage, expressed his bewilderment, saying, “I don’t get it. Up until now, the ref had a good game. He blows the whistle, stops, and waves it again. The play then stops. Which I don’t get. He should have let the game continue; Grealish has a one-on-one with the goalie.”
Roy Keane, while acknowledging that Hooper made a mistake, insisted that Manchester City should shoulder the blame for allowing Spurs back into the game. “It was a bad call,” Keane stated. “Jack is through on goal. He’s wrong about that; he’s blown the whistle for some reason. Because they let Spurs off the hook, City will be hard on themselves. Don’t blame the judge for that.”
The frustration and confusion surrounding Hooper’s decision extended beyond the players and pundits, creating a controversial moment in the match. Despite the disagreement over the call, the consensus remained that Manchester City had missed an opportunity to secure victory by letting Spurs back into the game.
