Man City Accuses Referees of Bias in Title Race Against Arsenal

Tensions ran high at Manchester City following their dramatic 2-2 draw against Tottenham, with the club accusing referees of bias and even hinting at a conspiracy favoring Arsenal.

City looked set for a crucial win after going 2-0 up in London thanks to goals from Cherki and Semenyo. But Tottenham fought back after halftime, with Dominic Solanke scoring twice to salvage a point and leave the champions frustrated. Now six points behind Arsenal, City face a tough trip to Liverpool with questions mounting.

The anger focused mainly on Solanke’s equalizer. City’s staff insist the Tottenham striker fouled Marc Guéhi during the build-up, yet the VAR didn’t intervene and the goal stood. Guardiola’s reaction was fiery, and he even earned a yellow card for protesting after replays on the stadium screen.

Guardiola didn’t hold back post-match, sarcastically suggesting that if a similar challenge happened to a striker, it would immediately be given as a penalty. He called the decision another questionable call in the Premier League.

More blunt was Rodri, the Spanish midfielder and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner. He said the foul on Guéhi was obvious and pointed out these controversial moments have happened repeatedly in recent games. He went further, implying some in football are tired of City’s dominance and would rather see Arsenal win the title.

I know we win too often and people don’t want us to win again, but the referee has to be neutral. For me, this is not fair. It really is not fair.

— Rodri

Rodri acknowledged fans’ frustration over City’s frequent success but insisted referees must stay impartial. He also claimed that a string of refereeing mistakes has cost City points this season, specifically mentioning matches against Manchester United and Wolverhampton.

The comments from Guardiola and Rodri have stirred controversy across England and will only add fuel to the fiery Premier League title race.