Manchester City players surround Referee Simon Hooper in the last...

Manchester City players surround Referee Simon Hooper in the last minutes of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Credit: AP/Dave Thompson

LONDON — Manchester City was handed a fine of 120,000 pounds ($150,000) on Monday for dissent shown to the referee by Erling Haaland and other players in an English Premier League game this month.

Haaland and teammates surrounded the ref because the match official failed to play advantage for a potential scoring chance late in the 3-3 draw with Tottenham on Dec. 3 at Etihad Stadium.

City accepted it failed to ensure its players “did not behave in an improper way” during the stoppage-time incident, the English Football Association said.

Haaland was particularly angry with referee Simon Hooper’s decision to not play advantage and continued his complaints after the final whistle, expressing his frustration in a post on X — formerly known as Twitter — when responding to video of the incident. Haaland didn't face separate action for his conduct.

Haaland was brought down by Tottenham defender Emerson Royal as City went in search of a winner after Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th-minute equalizer. As the striker got back to his feet, Hooper appeared to gesture for play to carry on, with Haaland releasing Grealish with a pass. It was then that Hooper blew his whistle.

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