Pep Guardiola criticizes referees after Manchester City defeats Wolves: ‘We triumphed in spite of them’
Pep Guardiola expressed strong criticism of referees after Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Wolves, indicating that he requires all of his top players healthy and available to counteract the effects of poor officiating.
Guardiola was infuriated when referee Farai Hallam, who was making his Premier League debut, dismissed the recommendation from VAR Darren England and opted not to award City a penalty in the first half.
Hallam was directed to the pitchside monitor but decided to uphold his original decision.
He informed the crowd that “after review, the ball strikes the arm of the Wolves player, which is in a natural position, so the on-field decision will stand.”
“I would love to have the players to contend with that [referees’ decisions]. We won in spite of them.
“The referee made a significant debut; now everyone will recognize him.
“I believe it’s the first instance they have gone to the TV and overturned what is a ‘normal’ arm position.”
In addition to the incident at St James’ Park that triggered Guardiola’s outburst, the City manager was also annoyed by Anthony Taylor’s choice not to issue a red card to Diogo Dalot for a knee-high tackle on Jérémy Doku during the 2-0 loss to Manchester United the previous weekend.
Webb appeared on the Premier League’s Match Officials Mic’d Up show three days later to support Taylor and VAR Craig Pawson.
“I’m fairly certain Howard Webb will appear in the media tomorrow to clarify why it wasn’t a penalty and what he did regarding United, as if it were the first time he had done so because there was some uncertainty,” Guardiola remarked.
“That’s why Jeremy could not participate in Norway [against Bodo/Glimt] — due to the action from Dalot.
“But it’s fine. I’m anticipating tomorrow. Don’t wait until Wednesday — we have Champions League commitments, we are occupied — Howard Webb, come tomorrow and clarify why it isn’t a penalty. That’s why I need my players back to contend with what we have accomplished since day one. It’s excessive.”
While City secured their first league victory of 2026 with goals from Omar Marmoush, who replaced the rested Erling Haaland, and Semenyo, the outcome concluded a five-match unbeaten streak for Wolves across all competitions.
– VAR review: Why Man City should have been awarded a penalty vs. Wolves
– Debut referee Farai Hallam sets Premier League precedent by disregarding VAR to deny Man City
– Haaland rested as Marmoush, Semenyo help City comfortably defeat Wolves
Burnley’s draw against Tottenham means they fall further behind at the bottom of the standings, but Rob Edwards was still able to find positives in the performance.
“We were pushing, hit the bar, had some moments,” Edwards stated.
“I definitely believe we can take a lot from it, even in defeat. It appears to be a routine victory, but I don’t think it was routine. I thought we performed well, but they were superior.”
