Snark, Spurs, and a Controversial Call: Guardiola Faces Potential Punishment
1 February 2026
Controversial opener fuels Guardiola's fury
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expressed clear anger after Tottenham's Dominic Solanke opened the scoring in a gripping 2-2 draw in the 24th round of the Premier League.
City dominated the first half, taking a two-goal lead, but Spurs rallied in the second half and earned a share of the spoils at times.
City opened through Rayan Cherqi in the 11th minute, and Antoine Semenyo added the second just before halftime in the 44th minute.
Second-half drama and potential discipline
Tottenham struck back with a double from Dominic Solanke in the 53rd and 70th minutes. The result leaves City on 47 points, second, six behind Arsenal, while Spurs sit 14th on 29.
The Mirror claimed Solanke's first goal looked controversial, suggesting Solanke appeared to trip Marc Guehi before scoring past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Referee Rob Jones awarded the goal, and VAR official Jared Gillet upheld it despite City’s protests.
Guardiola later spoke about VAR candidly, then faced further questions from BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Sports. His replies were brief and evasive, prompting ongoing debate about the league's use of VAR and the potential for punishment by the Premier League.
When asked again about the incident, Guardiola offered restrained humor, underscoring the recurring drama in English football. The exchanges highlighted the perpetual VAR controversy in the Premier League.
Punchline 1: Guardiola's post-match lines are so sharp that even VAR asks for a replay before the joke.
Punchline 2: If drama paid wages in the Premier League, Guardiola would be a billionaire and still be delivering press conferences with flair.
