Pep Guardiola accused Premier League debutant referee Farai Hallam of constructing the sport about himself because the supervisor raged towards the newest choice he feels has gone towards his workforce.
Metropolis beat Wolves 2-0 on the Etihad Stadium courtesy of objectives from Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo to assert their first league win of 2026. However Guardiola was livid they weren’t awarded a first-half penalty and urged if his facet had been to win the Premier League title for a seventh time in 10 seasons they might once more have to take action “regardless of” the referees.
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Hallam, officiating his first recreation within the Premier League, was despatched to the pitch-side monitor by the VAR Darren England within the thirty fifth minute after being requested to evaluation his choice to not award Metropolis a penalty for a perceived handball by Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Mosquera caught out his left arm with the ball bouncing off the underside of his elbow on to his physique as Marmoush minimize inside him earlier than hitting a publish.
After a prolonged evaluation, Hallam opted to face by his authentic on-pitch choice, which drew reward from former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann who described it as “doubtless the proper choice” and an “wonderful and brave name”.
Farai Hallam checks the pitch-side monitor (above) earlier than sticking by his choice to not award Man Metropolis a penalty, a lot to Bernardo Silva’s disappointment (under) – Getty Photos/Marc Atkins
Getty Photos/Carl Recine
However Guardiola took a unique view and fired a broadside at referees’ chief Howard Webb, whom he was dismayed to listen to defend the choice to not ship off Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot for a studs-up problem on Jérémy Doku within the derby final weekend.
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“Why have you ever requested me that? I might like to have the gamers to combat towards that [referees’ decisions],” Guardiola mentioned in reference to Metropolis’s lengthy listing of accidents.
“We received regardless of them [referees]. We did six Premier Leagues in 9 years so why do I not have the gamers?
“The referee [Hallam] made an enormous debut, now all people will know him. I believe it’s the primary time they go to the [pitch-side] TV and disallowed what’s a ‘regular’ place of the arms.
“I’m fairly certain Howard Webb tomorrow goes to look within the media to clarify why it’s not a penalty and what he did towards United, prefer it was the primary time he had executed it as a result of there was a bit of little bit of doubt.
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“That’s why Jérémy couldn’t play in Norway [against Bodo/Glimt] – for the motion from Dalot. But it surely’s OK. I’m ready tomorrow. Don’t watch for Wednesday – we’ve got Champions League [against Galatasaray], we’re busy – Howard Webb, come tomorrow and clarify why it’s not a penalty.
“That’s why [I say]: ‘Deliver me again the gamers, please, to combat for what we’ve got executed since day one.’ It’s an excessive amount of.”
Guardiola feels a sequence of refereeing choices have gone towards his workforce this season, together with the failure to award a penalty for a problem by Fabian Schar on Phil Foden towards Newcastle in November. He’s additionally more and more annoyed in regards to the lack of safety Erling Haaland and Doku get.
“Come tomorrow to clarify how the principles work once more. Are you aware what number of fouls are whistled to Jérémy together with his unbelievable pace?” Guardiola mentioned.
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“For those who and me run facet by facet with our rhythm and so they push us and go down it’s diving however the pace with Jérémy they contact a bit of bit and he can’t management his pace. Are you aware what number of fouls that they imagine is diving from Jérémy?
“Initially of the season they inform us that lengthy balls when the central defenders go over the shoulders of the striker shall be a foul. We had assembly.
“Are you aware what number of fouls for Erling Haaland? He has had extra fouls whistled towards him than for him. It’s time and again. Please deliver me the gamers again is all I would like, what we’ve got executed in 9 years. I’m so sorry for them.
“Doku couldn’t play in Norway due to what occurred after 5 minutes with Dalot. Now we have 11 accidents. I’m saying I wish to combat with my gamers as a result of we’ve got executed it down the years that even with these choices we are able to win.”
Manchester Metropolis lastly have Plan B with out Haaland
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This was not a classic efficiency by any means however it was ok to assert a primary Premier League victory of 2026 and, maybe as importantly, provided sight of a Plan B on these events Pep Guardiola opts to relaxation Erling Haaland.
Guardiola admitted not too long ago and that a lot was evident within the Norway striker’s listless performances towards Manchester United and that had been symptomatic of the workforce’s wider failings.
Had Omar Marmoush not been on Africa Cup of Nations responsibility in latest weeks, Guardiola could have been extra inclined to relaxation Haaland earlier than this project towards Wolves.
However, together with his prime scorer lastly getting the break of kinds he wanted right here, Guardiola could have been happy with components of what his workforce produced going ahead on a day when Marmoush claimed his first league objective of the season and new signing Antoine Semenyo his first league objective in Metropolis colors.
Guardiola went with a field midfield, Marmoush and Semenyo as break up strikers, the full-backs offering the width and new signing Marc Guéhi giving the defence a much more assured look on an completed debut.
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It was removed from excellent however there have been flashes of inspiration, particularly within the first half when Metropolis established a 2-0 lead they by no means actually appeared like surrendering regardless of a robust end from the division’s backside membership.
Semenyo’s objective definitely talked to the dynamic Guardiola – who additionally rested Phil Foden – was aiming to create together with his set-up.
There had been a whiff of what was to comply with within the seventeenth minute when fast, slick interaction moved the ball at tempo between Semenyo, Rodri, Rayan Cherki, Nico O’Reilly and Marmoush and culminated in Cherki capturing vast.
Solely the tip product was missing and Semenyo corrected that in first-half stoppage time when Wolves had been opened up by a quick, exact trade of passes by the center between Rodri, Cherki and Bernardo.
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Semenyo was alive to all of it and, slicing inside from the correct, collected Bernardo’s move and drilled a pinpoint end low into the far nook.
Antoine Semenyo has made a powerful begin to life at Man Metropolis – Shutterstock/Adam Vaughan
Rob Edwards, the Wolves supervisor, admitted Guardiola’s tactical tweak brought about his facet complications within the first interval earlier than a swap to a again 4 for the second introduced enchancment from the visiting workforce.
“They had been intelligent with it, the positions they took up within the field with Cherki on the prime of it made it very laborious for us to press,” Edwards mentioned. “They’ve so many various methods of enjoying and might pull you round. They didn’t do this to us an excessive amount of however the second objective was an instance of it.”
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alone accounts for nearly 43 per cent of Metropolis’s whole of 47 league objectives this time period. He has not scored in 10 of Metropolis’s league video games and this was solely the fourth of people who Metropolis have received. 4 led to defeat and two in attracts so this felt like a step ahead.
A mixture of accidents, poor kind and Afcon have made for a really disrupted season up to now for Marmoush, however Haaland himself would have been pleased with the best way the Egyptian acquired forward of Yerson Mosquera to poke residence Matheus Nunes’s bullet cross together with his studs within the sixth minute.
It’s not typically a workforce can usher in two confirmed Premier League performers in January however the arrival of Semenyo and Guéhi has offered Guardiola with two gamers who’ve hit the bottom working and definitely elevate the workforce.
Semenyo, who additionally hit the crossbar, has three objectives in 4 video games already and Guéhi, cool, composed and celebrating a late block like he had simply received the title, appeared like he had been enjoying below Guardiola for years.
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“They’re settled gamers. Final season we introduced in younger gamers [in January] aside from Omar – Vitor [Reis], [Claudio] Echeverri, [Abdukodir] Khusanov,” Guardiola mentioned.
“Antoine made an unbelievable [impact] at Bournemouth and it’s not obligatory to inform [you] about Marc [Guéhi] and who he’s. The captain from Crystal Palace, nationwide workforce and he is aware of every little thing, you had a sense from day one.
“We didn’t practice something but however I’ve the sensation the folks within the center transfer a bit of bit higher. They [Semenyo and Guéhi] haven’t come for six months, they’ve come for a few years so the switch is a extremely good prize and they’re the right age – 25, 26 – so an unbelievable signing for Manchester Metropolis for a few years.
“Guéhi’s a man you’ll be able to depend on. You see it, two coaching periods, how he strikes, how he talks, how he sees what occurs to encompass him, studying the conditions. Actually good.”
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Metropolis will want each on the highest of their recreation if they’re to overtake Arsenal, to not point out different attackers easing the burden on Haaland as they did right here.