Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was furious with referee Michael Oliver’s decision to send off Leandro Trossard for kicking the ball in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City, adding that the number of red cards handed out for such offences was “really, really worrying”.
Arsenal went into half-time leading 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium but Trossard, who had already been booked for a foul on Sabinho, was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Bernardo Silva and then cleared the ball.
Arsenal are unhappy that the punishment is too harsh, as well as the fact that City winger Jeremy Doku went unpunished for a similar incident earlier in the game.
It is the second time Arsenal have been shown a second yellow card, with Declan Rice being sent off for a similar incident against Brighton on August 31.
Arteta said he was “surprised” by the Rice call, as did Brighton striker Joao Pedro, who, like Toku, was not penalised for kicking the ball down, and he believes the game against City became “the one no one wants to watch” after Trossard was sent off.
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Trossard was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball.
“We were more efficient and went 2-1 up but there were two incidents. They were very similar. One incident in particular but the result was very different. It was a game that no one wants to see,” Arteta said.
“I think it’s very clear. It’s very clear. Hopefully it’s 100 percent what people think. It’s not my job to come here and judge what happened. My job is to survive for 55 minutes in the most difficult environment that football can throw at you. And try to do the job to survive. That’s my job, the rest of it is not my job.
“It’s the second time in five games that this has happened and if you want to watch the Premier League at its best, it’s really concerning.
“Anyone who has played soccer or any other sport knows that it is less than a second. Less than a second. The previous one (Toku) was more than a second. That’s it. It’s that simple.”
Arteta protests to fourth official after Leandro Trossard sent off against Manchester City
According to Arteta, the game left Arsenal with the “impossible” task of stopping City at the Etihad Stadium with 10 men. John Stones eventually equalised in injury time after a brave effort from the Gunners, and Arteta admitted he was proud of his team despite conceding two more goals.
“It’s impossible,” Arteta said of his team’s second-half challenge. “It’s very difficult against 11 men, it’s impossible because we’re under pressure to defend with six in the box. That’s it.
“I can’t believe it. I’m so proud of them. It’s disappointing when you’ve been through so much, to concede like we did, because we played 97, 99 minutes. But at the same time, you have to be proud of them.”
More to come…
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