Leandro Trossard’s dismissal from the Manchester City match forced Arsenal to play with ten men, but Mikel Arteta thought the home team should have also had a man penalized during the match.
Michael Oliver came under fire from Richard Keys for “dropping a b******” for failing to book Jeremy Doku against Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard of the Gunners was sent a red card by the referee, who became the focal point of the match on Sunday. He was sent off at the beginning of the second half after kicking the ball away.
The decision infuriated Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who demanded uniformity throughout. He brought up the fact that following a similar occurrence during the game, City star Jeremy Doku did not receive a warning.
Keys concurs with the Gunners manager and feels that referee Oliver made a mistake by not showing Arteta a yellow card. Keys has been criticizing Arteta for his touchline demeanor on a frequent basis in recent years. Unexpectedly, Keys stated in a piece, “I do agree with Arteta that Doku should have been booked.
“He also booted the ball away, but remember that it would have just resulted in a yellow. Trossard committed his crime while driving a yellow. That guy had to be as smart as a rocking horse. Oliver definitely made a b****** mistake by failing to reserve Doku. We’re looking for regularity.
In addition to concerns about kicking the ball away, City had grievances as well. The equalizer by Riccardo Calafiori also infuriated them.
Oliver was accused of preventing Kyle Walker from regaining position before the goal. In the meantime, objections were also raised over Gabriel’s second goal for Arsenal.
Keys also asserts that City had good reason to be vindictive. He went on, “He [Oliver] was also a touch mischievous, enabling Arsenal to take the free-kick in the build-up to Arsenal’s first goal—from the incorrect spot, by the way. Walker took a little while to reposition himself, but according to procedure, he ought to have been given the opportunity.
There is a claim that Arsenal’s second goal ought to have been called back. Ederson is obviously prevented from reaching the corner by two “blockers” from Arsenal. They often engage in this behavior, so I’m a little shocked that officials aren’t aware of it yet. It seemed like a foul to me.
I thought the game was fun, but both sides had good reason to be a little irritated. It was fantastic to watch Arsenal challenge City head-to-head and maintain confidence that they might prevail. That was a significant shift in their perspective from the previous season.
This week will see Arsenal and City return to competition after their refereeing disputes. In the third round of the Carabao Cup, the Gunners play League One team Bolton on Tuesday, while Guardiola’s team hosts Watford on Wednesday.
