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Erling Haaland was left irate by referee Simon Hooper's controversial call during the clash between Manchester City and Tottenham and here is why his anger is justified.
Manchester City star striker Erling Haaland is set to be charged by the FA for his public criticism of referee Simon Hooper's performance in the 3-3 draw against Tottenham.
Haaland's anger was directed at a particular decision late in the game when Manchester City were denied an opportunity to counter and score a potential winning goal.
The Norwegian striker went berzerk at the decision on the pitch and off it by responding to a tweet about the incident with the words, "WTF."
It is expected that the 23-year-old will receive some sort of punishment for his behaviour in this circumstance but here is why his reaction was completely justified.
Simon Hooper's error
Late in stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening with the game tied at 3-3, Manchester City had a chance to break away but Tottenham stopped it with a could on Erling Haaland, or so they thought.
The Norwegian giant sprung back to his feet with urgency and referee Simon Hooper played the advantage as a result, only to then call back the play after Haaland had already played Grealish through on goal for what could have been a potential winning goal.
It looked like the referee was comfortable playing the advantage until it became apparent it would lead to a chance for Manchester City is is understandably what infuriated Haaland.
Haaland felt cheated by the decision and perhaps took it so personally because it was an opportunity to redeem himself, bear in mind he had a poor game by his lofty standards, missing clear-cut chances
Haaland's reaction was justifiable
Haaland's reaction was completely human albeit not the right thing to do as Premier League footballers are held to a high behavioural standard which is why he is set to be charged.
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That decision left him and his team-mates incredulous with Haaland appearing to scream 'F*** off! F*** off!' towards Hooper, which consequently earned him a booking. And the 23-year-old could find himself in further hot water with the Football Association after stating 'what the f***' in a social media post commenting on Hooper's late call.
Technically, Hooper did not break any football laws either as he was within his right to play or not play advantage in a free-kick situation as the referee.
He just appeared to use his discretion in favour of Tottenham which infuriated Haaland and his teammates quite justifiably but now they must live with the consequences and move on.
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