The second yellow card for Trossard still remains a mystery to the fans as the 10 men Arsenal faced a horrible second half attacking display from the defending champions Man City.
We just witnessed one of the best games of the Premier League, last Sunday. As Arsenal faced Man City away from home. Fans believe it was the title deciding match as the two teams have been fighting for the league throne in the barest of margins for the past 2-3 seasons. Arsenal, despite spending 248 days at the top of the table last season, failed to capitalize the lead. As Pep’s men snitched it away from Arteta in the last match week.
It’s always a hard outing for the opponents at the Etihad stadium. Morever, it was ought to be a tougher challenge for the Gunners in the absence of captain Odegard. As said, Erling Haaland’s 9th minute goal gave the home team an early lead against Arsenal. However, the visitors didn’t have to wait long for an equalizer.
As a belter from debutant Riccardo Calafiori as a starter found the top right corner of Ederson’s goal from 20 yards away in the 22nd minute. They even got the lead from a leaping header by Gabriel through a corner kick in the 1st minute of added time of the first half.
But the controversy arose when Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away out of the pitch after fouling Bernardo Silva. Arteta was literally fuming regarding the decision of the match referee Michael Oliver.
Was the red card for Trossard a fair decision?
Arsenal got involved in another controversy after the red card of Declan Rice against Brighton in the 3rd matchday. But this time most of the media broadcasters and pundits have the same opinion regarding the decision. The reaction from Trossard may seemed rude to some but new footages that have appeared in the social media tells different story.
Spectators thought that the second yellow for Trossard was because of the foul on Silva. But it was clarified during the break that it was for the offence of kicking the ball away. Teammate Calafiori believes that it was a wrong decision by the ref. In the post match interview, he stated,
“I don’t want to say too much, but the referee, for me, they have to do their job to keep the game good to watch, but in these kinds of actions, they don’t have to put themselves too much. I think Leo didn’t even hear the whistle.”
The statement is very logical from the Italian. The crowd cheering was so intense that it was also possible for Trossard not to hear the whistle. Another point which is roaming across the social media that it was a through ball from the Belgian international for a potential counter attack. When he fouled on Silva and regained possession, his teammate Martinelli was running through the left side. And when Trossard kicked the ball away it landed on that side of the pitch in Martinelli’s way before going out of play.
Whether intentional or unintentional, it was indeed a very harsh decision from Oliver. Only some seconds were left for play in the first half before the incident occurred. To sent a man off in such a important game was not an ideal decision. It left Arsenal with 10 men for the next 53 minutes in the second half including stoppage time.
Arsenal’s bold defensive display in the second half
The 10 men Gunners fought like warriors in the ground against the attacking prowess of Pep’s men. David Raya’s outstanding goalkeeping display denied the likes of Haaland, Gvardiol, Walker, Kovacic and others. With the help of the midfielders and attackers in the defense Arsenal stood strong and held their ground during the whole second half.
But unfortunately City found their way to equalize in the 98th minute as John Stones came to be a super sub for the Pep’s side. However, this cannot take away the fight from the Gunners. The fans were very proud of their team. Arsenal will play better eventually after the crisis situation in their camp ends.
A trusted source on ManCityNews.comA trusted source on GoonerNews.com
For more football updates, make sure to follow us on:
