Gabriel admits his red card was ‘hard to accept’ and vows to ‘run until I die for this team’ while Alexandre Lacazette hits out at refereeing in last-gasp Arsenal defeat by Man City
- Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to leaders Man City was marred by controversial decisions
- Gabriel was given his marching orders after two yellow cards in 78 seconds
- VAR awarded City a penalty after Granit Xhaka’s challenge on Bernardo Silva
- But a check had not been carried out on a similar challenge on Martin Odegaard
Arsenal suffered defeat to league leaders Manchester City on Saturday after a number of controversial decisions marred the game.
The Gunners slipped to a last-gasp defeat as Rodri netted in the third minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win for City after Arsenal defender Gabriel had been sent off.
The Gunners had impressed in the first half and led the champions 1-0 at half-time following Bukayo Saka’s strike, but City were given the chance to equalise from the spot 10 minutes into the second half.
VAR intervened to overturn referee Stuart Attwell’s original decision not to award a penalty after Granit Xhaka’s tackle on Bernardo Silva.
Gabriel (third from left) was given his marching orders in the second half of Arsenal’s defeat
The Gunners were 1-0 up when Granit Xhaka challenged Bernardo Silva inside the box
Riyad Mahrez then equalised from the spot in the 57th minute following the delay but it was only downhill from there for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Defender Gabriel made it two yellow cards in 78 seconds when he was booked after replays showed he had tried to scuff up the penalty spot prior to the Algerian’s kick, before brining down compatriot Gabriel Jesus inside the centre circle to be given his marching orders.
Following the game, the Brazilian took to social media to admit the red card was ‘hard to accept’.
But after consulting the VAR pitchside monitor, Attwell decided to overturn his decision
Riyad Mahrez then equalised from the penalty spot for the Premier League champions
The 24-year-old was sent off in the 59th minute after receiving two yellow cards in 78 seconds
‘Hard to accept it , but only God knows everything,’ he posted.
‘Proud to be part of this team!!! Amazing spirit ! We will keep working together , fighting until the end !!
‘For this team I will run until I die !! Let’s keep improving in 2022!!!’
The 24-year-old’s dismissal forced Arsenal to sacrifice Martin Odegaard for Rob Holding to shore up the backline but their heartbreak only increased as Rodri netted in the third minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win for City.
Boos rang out around the Emirates stadium after City were awarded the spotkick as Gunners fans were left aggrieved that a similar challenge from Ederson on Martin Odegaard had not been checked in the first half.
The Brazilian defender claimed the sending off was “hard to accept’ following the defeat
Gunners fans were livid Ederson’s challenge on Martin Odegaard earlier had not been checked as Xhaka’s had been
And captain Alexandre Lacazette also took to Twitter to chime in with his disappointment at the refereeing decisions following the defeat.
‘Don’t think we deserved those decisions but I’m proud of my team and thank you fans for never giving up on us, you were amazing ! On to the next,’ he wrote.
The defeat does not see Arsenal drop out of the top four, despite West Ham’s triumph over Crystal Palace but City are runaway leaders as they moved 11 points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table.
Gunners captain Alexandre Lacazette claimed his side did not deserve the decisions
The Frenchman (centre) thanked Arsenal fans for not giving up on the team despite the loss
