Arsenal star Leandro Trossard was sent off against Manchester City in controversial scenes at the Etihad Stadium.
Referee Michael Oliver showed Trossard his marching orders, the player’s second booking of the match because he kicked the ball away.
The Premier League confirmed that the Belgian attacker was sent off because he was delaying the restart of the match.
According to John Cross of The Mirror, the player has told his Arsenal teammates that he did not hear the referee’s whistle.
The player has told his teammates that he was trying to play a pass and did not hear the whistle.
Trossard explained the same thing to the referee but still he was sent off by Oliver, a decision many people in the media and the fan base have criticised.
It was another sending off for an Arsenal player this season for delaying the restart of the match.
Declan Rice received a red card for the same reason against Brighton earlier in the season, a match which Arsenal failed to win at the Emirates Stadium.
Trossard’s red card against Man City completely changed the complexion of the match and made it difficult for the Gunners to really challenge Pep Guardiola’s side.
They sat back for the whole of the second half to defend their lead and they had almost managed to pull off an unbelievable result but a late goal from substitute John Stones made sure that the match ends all square between the Premier League title contenders.
Arsenal were disappointed with the performance of Michael Oliver
Arsenal fans and players, as expected, were upset by the refereeing in the match.
They felt that they had been deprived of the opportunity to pull of a memorable win at the home of four time Premier League champions Man City.
In the second half at the Etihad Stadium, the Gunners showed courage and determination to defend their lead. They put their bodies on the line against arguably the most talented squad in world football.
It was just not meant to be for Mikel Arteta and his team and the sending off of Trossard played a massive part in the result of the match.