The Haaland “Target”: Pep Guardiola Slams Referees Over VAR Chaos in Carabao Cup
The fallout from Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg has shifted from the pitch to the press room. Despite the commanding lead, Pep Guardiola has launched a stinging defense of Erling Haaland, claiming the Norwegian striker is being “unfairly singled out” and punished for his physical strength by English officials.
The controversy stems from an extraordinary five-and-a-half-minute VAR delay at St James’ Park on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, which denied City’s new £65m signing, Antoine Semenyo, what would have been a crucial second goal.
The “Edge Case” That Paralyzed VAR
The incident occurred just after the hour mark when Semenyo flicked the ball into the net from a corner. However, celebrations were frozen as officials launched a marathon forensic check.
Technical Failure: Reports have confirmed that the Premier League’s “semi-automated offside technology” failed because the Newcastle penalty area was too crowded. Cameras could not track the ball through the mass of bodies, forcing officials to manually draw crosshairs—a process that took over five minutes.
The Decision: Referee Chris Kavanagh eventually ruled that Erling Haaland, who was a “toe” offside, had interfered with play. Haaland was judged to have obstructed Newcastle defender Malick Thiaw, even though many pundits—including Gary Neville—branded the call “ludicrous.”
Guardiola: “He Makes More Fouls than He Receives”
Speaking ahead of today’s Manchester Derby, Guardiola expressed his “profound frustration,” arguing that Haaland’s elite physical attributes are now being used against him by referees.
“He is the only striker in my life that makes more fouls to defenders than defenders to him. Every time Erling touches an opponent, it’s a foul from Erling. I don’t understand it.” — Pep Guardiola
Guardiola’s “rant” didn’t stop there. He used the incident to highlight a perceived pattern of bias, referencing “unbelievable” non-penalty calls for City during their 2-1 league loss to Newcastle in November and their shock FA Cup Final defeat to Crystal Palace last season.
Channeling the Anger
While the disallowed goal could have derailed City, Guardiola claimed the injustice actually galvanized his squad. He noted that the “anger” from the delay helped them stay focused, leading to a late 98th-minute strike from Rayan Cherki to seal the win.
With City now holding a two-goal cushion heading into the second leg at the Etihad, Guardiola appears to be using the officiating drama as fuel to motivate his players for the grueling second half of the season.