Tottenham Hotspur hosted Manchester City for their Premier League clash on February 1, 2026, which ended in a 2-2 draw, throwing a wrench in City's title race. While the match ended in a draw, it also had a controversial goal from the Spurs.
Manchester City's anger emerged as the on-field referee and VAR allowed the controversial first goal from the Spurs stand. Dominic Solanke shot an awkward strike in the second half, where it looked like he kicked the ball through Manchester City defender Marc Guehi's foot, taking him down in the penalty box. Ideally, the goal should not have been allowed as it looked like a foul on the City defender.
Following the match, Rodri lambasted the referee for not being 'neutral.' Additionally, the player also labelled them as being 'unfair' to his team.
Rodri Criticizes Referees Following Spurs Draw
Manchester City raced 2-0 up before the half-time with goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. However, Solanke's brace in the second half forced City to share the points instead of taking all three. Following the match, Rodri exploded in anger at the referee for allowing Solanke's first goal to stand.
Rodri shared, "They don’t want us to win, but the referee has to be neutral. I don’t know how to feel, honestly. Now I see the images. On the pitch, of course, you cannot see. It’s a clear foul in the first action of the goal. It's a clear foul! And VAR is for a reason. And these small details make the difference. We’re trying to do our best. It’s the first goal they scored. Maybe if they don’t score this goal, we win the game."
‘It’s a CLEAR FOUL! They don’t want us to win.’ ?
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 2, 2026
Rodri was left absolutely fuming after believing Spurs’ first goal should not have stood.
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He further added, "It’s one game and another game and another game. It’s not possible. And honestly, I never speak about referees. I respect their job massively, but they have to pay attention to these things. He kicked the leg; it’s so clear. He anticipated the leg of Marc [Guehi], and it’s a clear foul. But it’s not [just] today; it’s two, three games in a row, and I don’t know why."
The Draw Pushed City Further Behind Arsenal
The draw against Spurs left Manchester City six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who beat Leeds 4-0 earlier this weekend. However, with 14 games to go, City isn't giving up on the Premier League title race.
