After refereeing decisions hit the headlines last week following the Tottenham – Liverpool game, PGMOL may have breathed a sigh of relief that a huge decision didn’t affect the result in Arsenal’s clash with Man City on Sunday.
For hadn’t Gabriel Martinelli struck late on via a wicked Nathan Ake deflection, discourse after Arsenal’s titanic clash with Manchester City would’ve been dominated by Mateo Kovacic.
Sunday’s contest was one of little action with both managers, each hampered by key absences, seemingly keen on walking away with a point. After City came close to opening the scoring from a set piece early on, they rarely got a sniff of David Raya’s goal, and while the hosts were emboldened by Martinelli’s entrance at half-time, Ederson wasn’t tested before he was wrong-footed for the winner.
However, hadn’t the Gunners walked away with all three points, Gooners would’ve undoubtedly cried injustice with mor1e vigour given that Kovacic somehow avoided a red card in the first half.
“Together they are a red card”
The Ref Watch panel give their opinion on if Mateo Kovačić should have been sent off against Arsenal? 👀 pic.twitter.com/5Dm7smWlJa
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 9, 2023
The Croatian midfielder could’ve been sent off on two occasions before half-time amid a couple of minutes of madness.
Kovacic’s first challenge on Martin Odegaard was reckless. The Arsenal captain was in an innocuous position receiving William Saliba’s pass when Kovacic went flying in. The City man caught Odegaard just above the ankle with his studs raised.
Michael Oliver was quick to brandish a yellow card, but the nature of the challenge meant VAR had a look for a potential red card. However, Kovacic’s nasty foul wasn’t deemed dangerous enough to overturn Oliver’s on-field decision. Many regarded the tackle as worthy of an ‘orange card’; somewhere in between a booking and a sending off. Had Oliver given Kovacic a straight red, VAR likely wouldn’t have intervened.
The more egregious call arrived just six minutes later, though, when Kovacic again recklessly challenged an Arsenal midfielder. On this occasion, it was Declan Rice who was caught late by the Croatian international, with Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville ominously crying “Oh no…” after Kovavic had lunged in without getting a piece of the ball and catching Rice’s ankle.
It seemed like an obvious booking when Oliver blew up for the foul, but the referee instead dismissed Arsenal‘s claims for Kovacic to receive his marching orders.
“I think he’s lucky, I think he’s very lucky! He gets Rice’s right foot. What is he doing? He should be off,” Neville said on commentary. That was the overwhelming view, with former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher saying the combination of Kovacic’s challenges were well worthy of a dismissal.
After deeming that Oliver hadn’t made a clear and obvious error over Kovacic’s tackle on Odegaard which produced a yellow card, the VAR was left powerless when the referee opted against giving the midfielder his second booking.
Ever since the technology was introduced to the Premier League, it has only been able to draw the referee’s attention to a possible red card. The VAR cannot interrupt for decisions regarding a possible second yellow card.
While Kovacic’s challenge on Rice was late and clumsy, it certainly wasn’t worthy of a straight red card.
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