Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola surprisingly name checked his former assistant, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, as he reacted to a controversial late decision in the champions' 3-3 draw against Tottenham on Sunday night.
City had to settle for point after Dejan Kulusevski's late leveller at the Etihad, but last season's treble winners could have won it in added time as Jack Grealish went clean through from an Erling Haaland pass.
The Norwegian was fouled, but referee Simon Hooper initially played the advantage, only for the official to blow his whistle after the ball had been sent through to Grealish.
Haaland was furious and protested angrily after played had stopped and again following the final whistle. The Norwegian later showed his disbelief at the incident with a post on social media.
Asked after the game for his thoughts on what had happened, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment."
When pressed for his view, he said: “It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action."
On the match itself, which saw City pegged back from 2-1 and 3-2 despite dominating for much of the evening, Guardiola said: “It was a good game, that is the most important thing.
"It was a pity, same as the Liverpool game, I had the feeling that today that we made an incredible performance in all departments, against a really good team and manager and how they play.
"We created a lot of chances, we were aggressive, incredibly concentrated, and the feeling is that we still want to be there [at the top of the table].
“It is a pity. Sometimes football is like life, you do not get what you deserve.”
More Manchester City stories
Rodri recently called for action to be taken to stop European football losing more stars to Saudi Arabia.
Pep Guardiola has discussed his future, teasing Juventus as a potential destination in the future.
Meanwhile, Shaun Wright-Phillips has told FFT that his former club could go on to win 10 Premier League titles in a row.
