Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure after Manchester City were held to a 2–2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur, insisting Spurs’ opening goal should have been ruled out for a foul on Marc Guehi. In response to the controversy, the Premier League later issued an official explanation defending the decision.
City appeared to be cruising in the first half. They took the lead early on when Rayan Cherki struck after 11 minutes, his right-footed effort beating Guglielmo Vicario, before Antoine Semenyo made it 2–0 to cap a dominant opening spell.
The match took a dramatic turn after the break. Tottenham came out with renewed energy and were rewarded when Dominic Solanke scored twice in the space of 17 minutes to draw the hosts level. Despite late pressure from both sides, neither could find a winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While Spurs were pleased to claim a point, much of the post-match discussion centred on their first goal. Initially credited as a Guehi own goal following the defender’s January move from Crystal Palace, the strike was later awarded to Solanke. Replays showed contact between Solanke and Guehi as the City defender attempted to block the shot, leading to calls for the goal to be disallowed.
VAR chose not to intervene, and the Premier League Match Centre later clarified on X that Solanke had played the ball, justifying the decision to award the goal to the striker rather than penalise him for a foul.
Guardiola was clearly unimpressed after the final whistle. “Have you seen it? Nothing,” he said, visibly irritated. “Marc has the ball, he gets kicked from behind and it’s a goal. What can I say? It’s happened again.”
He later told BBC Sport: “If that happens to a striker, it’s a penalty. I’m not a referee, but it’s fascinating in the Premier League. We’re playing at a very high level, but we don’t have the consistency right now. There are still plenty of games and points to fight for.”
With City now six points behind Arsenal, Guardiola’s side will aim to bounce back when they host Newcastle United in the League Cup before a crucial Premier League trip to Anfield.
