“Guardiola gets angry over canceled Haaland goal: Size discrimination or fair call?”

BRIGHTON (VG) (Brighton – Manchester City 1-1) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (52) scolded himself with a yellow card after the canceled goal of Erling Braut Haaland (22). Now he reveals why he got so angry.

He sees no difference between what the Manchester City striker does in the duel in question and what the defenders do with the big, strong striker.

– If it is to be annulled, then all treatment of Erling Haaland must be a free kick. The goal should have stood. It proves that what we won on the field belongs to us. Nobody gave us anything, says Pep Guardiola.

The latest message is the same response that the Manchester City manager gave when he spoke about the cheating allegations and the possible punishment the club could face if they are convicted of breaking the Premier League’s regulations.

But back to the situation: At 1-1, after a number of missed chances and an unselfish decision in front of goal, Haaland rose to the air and nodded the ball into the goal.

The Norwegian managed to celebrate, but referee Simon Hooper was recommended by VAR to take a look at the situation. Then he decided to cancel the scoring. Guardiola is clear that he believes Haaland is being punished because of his size.

– He scores because he is bigger. He is stronger. He got himself in a position to do that, says Guardiola.

See the situation here:

While Guardiola was calm and smiling for almost the entire press conference, he got really fired up when he was asked about the cancellation. He also pretended to thunder in all the interviews he dropped in on.

– If it’s a free kick, there are 25 offenses from the defenders on every single long ball. Come on, it’s ridiculous, says the City manager to the BBC.

A few games ago, Guardiola took issue with Everton stopper Yerry Mina for doing things he called “unnecessary”.

However, he did not elaborate on what it was he was reacting to. Afterwards, Haaland looked like this:

In Wednesday’s match against Brighton, the Norwegian was again involved in tough duels with centre-backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Levi Colwill. Guardiola says that “Erling has wounds on his body after the match”.

Brighton striker Danny Welbeck tells VG that he thinks the defenders did a brilliant job against Haaland.

– They were fantastic. It’s never easy when you meet one of the most toxic strikers in the world. He is so physical and I thought the boys were brilliant today. There are two young players who played with so much courage and bravery. They set the tone for the whole team and it spread across the pitch today, says Welbeck in the press zone after the match.

Erling Braut Haaland touched Thierry Henry when he came alone with the goalkeeper, but instead crossed to Phil Foden, who sent the visitors into the lead. The match ended in a draw after Paraguayan 19-year-old Julio Enciso stuck the ball in the crossbar later in the half.

After the break, Haaland scored, but the goal was thus cancelled. The experts seem to agree that it was correct.

– It is a difficult situation. It is Colwill who makes the contact first and knows where Haaland is, then Haaland pulls on the kit, gets in front and scores. I would have screamed at a free kick, says the former centre-back Danny Gabbidon at Sky Sports.

– I don’t understand why Manchester City are so annoyed. It looks ready, reacts former Arsenal striker Alan Smith.

Viaplay expert Nils Johan Semb was present at the American Express Community Stadium, and answers questions like this about whether Haaland is treated unfairly by the referees for being big and strong:

– There is a lot of holding on to him, and that can be dealt with even earlier. He deserves a free kick in some situations, because there is a lot of holding on him from the stoppers. That’s it, says Semb to VG.

The former Norwegian national team manager agrees that there are similarities with John Carew, who was also a big and strong forward who ended up in many similar situations.

– Carew received a lot of free kicks and didn’t get as many free kicks as he should have. Now I think Haaland is so fast and strong that he often manages to break away from those who hold him. He has the extreme qualities of both power and speed, and then he often breaks free from the holds, says Semb, who does not agree with Guardiola:

– It’s not about being big and strong, because there he holds and takes a good hold of the jersey. At the start, they are just as good with a little pushing and holding, but then he pulls very clearly. The jersey stands straight out, and that is what is decisive there.

See all the highlights here: