Mark Halsey, a former Premier League referee, has expressed his astonishment that Erling Haaland has avoided any retrospective punishment from the Football Association (FA) following Manchester City’s heated encounter with Arsenal. The game, filled with tension both on and off the field, ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw, with City salvaging a point thanks to a last-minute equalizer from John Stones.
The match saw Arsenal leading 2-1 at halftime despite being reduced to 10 men after Leandro Trossard’s red card. Throughout the second half, City relentlessly pursued an equalizer, and as the tension mounted, Haaland found himself at the center of the controversy. The Norwegian striker, who earlier scored his 100th goal for City, was seen throwing the ball at the back of Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães’ head during the celebrations following Stones’ late goal. This sparked a series of heated clashes involving Haaland, both before and after the final whistle.
Despite Haaland’s actions, it has been revealed that the FA will not take any further action against the striker. However, Halsey believes Haaland could have been subjected to a ban and wouldn’t have had grounds to complain if it had been ruled as violent conduct. Speaking to The Sun, Halsey said, “You could argue it’s violent conduct because it’s like he’s throwing an object at someone’s head. It’s similar to throwing a punch at someone’s head. It will be interesting to see if the FA reconsider and take retrospective action because it could definitely be seen as violent conduct.”
In addition to the incident with Gabriel, new footage emerged showing Haaland taunting Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the match. The City striker was caught on camera saying, “Stay humble, eh, stay humble,” which escalated into a confrontation with Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus. Jesus, unhappy with Haaland’s comments, confronted him on the pitch, and the situation quickly turned into a heated exchange. Haaland, visibly angry, responded by calling Jesus a “f****** clown” and telling him to “get the f*** away.”
Haaland’s actions during the match and post-game have sparked mixed reactions. While some, like Mark Halsey, believe his behavior warranted further scrutiny, others have defended the striker. Former Premier League legend Alan Shearer, for instance, downplayed the incident, describing it as “harmless.” Shearer, speaking on Match of the Day 2, stated, “I don’t think there was any harm in it. It was a really difficult game for the referee, but in terms of the aggression and the one-on-one battles, it was a fascinating game.”
Despite the controversies surrounding the match, Haaland has escaped any formal punishment, but the debate over whether his actions crossed the line continues. As the Premier League title race heats up, this bad-blooded encounter between two top teams will be remembered for both its on-field drama and the post-match tensions involving Haaland.