The second-half of Arsenal’s Premier League tie against Leeds United has got off to a nightmare start with club-record signing Nicolas Pepe being sent off just five minutes in for violent conduct.
Pepe, who has mostly been used a bit-part option this season after a mixed debut campaign, hit out after a tussles with Leeds ace Ezgjan Alioski.
Pepe and Alioski exchanges some little shoves off-the-ball before Pepe angrily reacted and head-butted the Leeds utility man.
With it taking place away from the normal action, the referee didn’t see the moment live, so the official used the pitch-side VAR monitor to rightfully show Pepe a red card for violent conduct.
This is another incident of Arsenal players showing their fight in all the wrong moments, with David Luiz and Dani Ceballos involved in a training ground battle earlier this week.
PEPE SENT OFF ?
The Arsenal man headbutts Ezgjan Alioski off the ball and is shown a straight red card
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Mikel Arteta and the rest of the Arsenal team have to blast Pepe for this costly reaction, which has come in a match which they already found themselves on the back-foot in.