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.
Pictures from Sky Sports.
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.