4No goal…Hwang Hee-chan narrowly avoids sending off→”It’s a foul, but not a card”

Hwang Hee-chan’s fourth league goal almost didn’t happen.

Wolverhampton Wanderers recorded a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the seventh round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, on Sept. 30 at 11 p.m. ET.

A David and Goliath battle. Before the game, most people expected an easy win for City. Not only was there a disparity in objective strength, but the two teams’ recent form was at odds. Wolverhampton had narrowly avoided the relegation zone with just one win in six league games, while City were unbeaten in six league games and sitting atop the table.

As expected, the game was dominated by City. According to soccer stats outlet Fourscore, City had a whopping 68.1% of the possession and pressured their opponents. They attempted 23 shots in 90 minutes and completed nearly 88% of their passes.

In the end, though, the game was Wolverhampton’s to lose. In the 13th minute of the first half, after a tremendous run by Pedro Neto, he sent in a cross that found the foot of Jubeng Dias and found its way into the City goal. City equalized in the 13th minute of the second half thanks to a tremendous free-kick from Julian Alvarez, but conceded again in the 21st minute to Hwang Hee-chan, resulting in a 1-2 defeat.

It was Hwang Hee-chan who stole the show. He had suffered an ego bruise before the game when Pep Guardiola called him “Korean Guy” instead of his full name, but he certainly made his presence felt by scoring the winning goal. After the game, Guardiola correctly pronounced Hwang “Hwang” instead of “Korean Guy”. 레고토토

Hwang Hee-chan’s fourth goal of the league. But in the first half, this moment almost didn’t happen. After picking up a yellow card in the 24th minute, Hwang was later booked for a heavy tackle on Kyle Walker inside the City box. He didn’t touch the ball at all and the back-tackle was heavy enough to warrant a caution. One more yellow card and he would have been sent off, but luckily the referee didn’t give Hwang a warning. Some City fans were unhappy with the decision.

However, Dermot Gallagher, a former referee in the PL, insisted that the referee made the correct call. According to Sky Sports, he said, “It’s a foul, but it’s not a caution. The referee was able to see the exact moment. He took into account the strength of the tackle and all the circumstances.”