Erling Haaland, the prolific scorer for Manchester City, made a kind gesture on Saturday that infuriated Pep Guardiola.
This came after the Norwegian striker turned the ball over to teammate Ilkay Gundogan instead of taking a penalty kick as instructed by his manager.
The English Premier League leaders were up 2-0 against Leeds United after the German midfielder scored twice in the opening period.
But in the final seconds, Haaland, 22, was given a penalty kick, and Guardiola roared from the sidelines for him to take it.
However, Haaland, who has already scored a Premier League single-season record of 35 goals, glanced at Guardiola before handing the ball to Gundogan for him to complete a hat-trick.
It was a move that sent the Spanish manager into rage, especially as Gundogan’s effort was pushed aside by a diving goalkeeper Joel Robles.
“If Gundo scores, everyone is ‘OK, hat-trick, well done’,” Guardiola said following Manchester City’s 2-1 victory.
“But a taker is a taker. At 2-0, this is a business, not a situation where we cannot forget it.”
The 32-year-old Gundogan felt the heat from Guardiola when he stepped up to the penalty kick spot.
“First he showed to Erling that he was quite mad about that, and then also he had a go at me,” Gundogan told reporters. “It is what it is at the end.
“The moment Erling grabbed the ball, I was sure he was going to take it but he looked out for me.
“I checked with him a few times to make sure he was sure. He was certain to hand the ball to me. I was confident to score.”
Haaland had several excellent scoring chances, with a shot that bounced off the crossbar and another that glanced off the post.
With Manchester City in pursuit of their third successive Premier League title, and the win having extended their lead over second-placed Arsenal to four points, Guardiola’s mood somewhat later improved.
