Lineker shocked by ‘nonsense’ after Tottenham v Man City controversy on MOTD
Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Manchester City on Wednesday ended with a controversial moment which left Gary Lineker baffled.
Tottenham’s three-game winning run came to an end in North London as the Premier League champions secured a 1-0 win against Ange Postecoglou’s side – which arguably should have been by more.
City dominated proceedings in the first half with Savinho and goalscorer Erling Haaland both having chances to score after the Norwegian’s opener; albeit they did find the net again in the latter stages.
Haaland slotted in from close range after getting past Archie Gray and Kevin Danso in the box, but after a long VAR delay, Tottenham were given a repreive as a handball by Haaland was spotted in the build-up.
Gary Lineker hits out at ‘nonsense’ law after Tottenham v Man City
Haaland’s late goal being chalked off didn’t have any effect on the outcome of the match as the points headed north to Manchester, but Gary Lineker wasn’t happy with the “absurd” ruling which led to it.
Speaking on Match of the Day (26 February), Lineker argued that had the accidental handball been by Gray or Danso, no penalty would have been given, but attackers are instead punished for such incidents.
He said: “I have to say, it’s the handball law in that circumstance – whether or not it hits his arm or not is absurd – because if you go on to score a goal, then it’s handball.
“But if a defender does it in the box accidentally, it’s not a penalty – it’s a nonsense.”
Tottenham fail to seize initiative v Manchester City
Although City will feel that they were robbed of a deserved 2-0 victory, Tottenham will feel that 1-0 was far more reflective of the contest as a whole following their much-improved second-half performance.
There’s no denying that the visitors should have already been 2-0 up – at least – by half-time, with Guglielmo Vicario making two saves from Haaland as Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie were run ragged.
| Tottenham | Statistic | Manchester City |
| 0 | Goals | 1 |
| 1.33 | xG | 2.12 |
| 55 per cent | Possession | 45 per cent |
| 11 | Shots | 12 |
| 6 | Shots on Target | 5 |
Spurs, however, grew into the game after the break and were the better side for much of the second half; Kevin Danso, Wilson Odobert, Son Heung-Min and Pape Sarr going closest to finding the equaliser.
Sarr’s chance from close range at the death – beyond added time after Haaland’s disallowed goal – would have been just reward for Tottenham’s efforts, but it wasn’t to be as they suffer a first loss in four.