I have woken up this morning and I am still mad about the result last night. There were certainly things in which we could have done more to avoid the defeat to Wolves at Molineux last night, but I am finding it almost impossible not to think about this game and look at the details without viewing it through the prism of the game-changing decision that defined the match into injury time in the first half.
It effectively changes the game and I’m sorry, but it is an utter disgrace at the injustice we came across last night. Craig Pawson is a joke of a referee and he showed his ineptitude and lack of common sense last night with his decision to send David Luiz off.
I also think it is debatable whether or not there was even any contact. I have watched it about six or seven times now and even I am struggling. If there is contact, it certainly should not have been a sending off. I have seen people argue that there was no attempt to play the ball and so when that is the case it is a red card and a penalty. Indeed, there was no attempt to play the ball by David Luiz, but here’s the thing: he made an ACTIVE attempt NOT to touch the player. You can see it in his movement. He slows down his run, he pulls his body up high, he is trying his best not to touch the player and for that reason Pawson should have gone to the monitor and seen that, rather than instantly reacting.
But that is what referees do to Arsenal. It is “get the red out as soon as possible” with us this season. Just look at Emile Smith-Rowe in the FA Cup game against Newcastle. Referee acts swiftly and it is only when the VAR official says he should have a think again does he act. Last night it was the reverse: he decided he didn’t need to see anything and that in itself stinks.
If there was contact, if they look at the replay as they do with Arsenal a million times in slow motion, before making contact then fine. Give the penalty. But you cannot watch a dozen replays of that incident and tell me there is intent on David Luiz’s part to trip the player and make no effort to go for the ball.
And for those of you “he had no choice” peeps out there, let’s just remind ourselves of the FIFA rules of the global game:
Fouls – Direct free kick:
Group of six
- Kicks or attempts to kick an opponent – David Luiz is trying to get out of the way
- Trips or attempts to trip an opponent – it was not an attempt, or a trip, because the players studs touch his knee at best, so you can’t call that
- Jumps at an opponent – nope
- Charges an opponent – na-ah
- Strikes or attempts to strike an opponent – didn’t happen
- Pushes an opponent – not in this instance.
For this group of six, the referee must consider how the action was done:
- Carelessly
- Recklessly
- With excessive force.
I think it is hard to argue for any of those in that Luiz decision.
Yet here we are this morning having felt hard done by. If we can take any crumb of positivity it is that we battered Wolves in that first half and as Arteta said should have been three or four up. But the luck and poor officiating was against us last night. Saka hit the post early on, he then had an offside ruled out because of a Lacazette toenail being offside (wouldn’t it be nice for one of those marginal calls go our way for a change?), Pepe scored a great goal to put us ahead and we looked very good in that first half. But as soon as we were down to ten men the game was going to be a tough one for us. If the game stays at 1-0 at halftime I think we are talking this morning about a comprehensive and impressive Arsenal display. The narrative from the gutter press will be about an Arsenal implosion and craziness and yes, Leno had a moment of madness in the second half, but that media narrative will still see us as pressing the self destruct when, in my opinion, Craig Pawson pressed it against us. If it were a United or a Tiny Totts it would be about the standard of officiating, but the media love a fallen giant and that is us this season and last season, which is why we don’t get the same love in and this game will be more about some sort of stupidity that wasn’t really there in the first half.
What these players need to do now is pick themselves up for the weekend game and use this perceived injustice and turn it in to motivation for the game at the weekend against Aston Villa. We need to make sure we stop getting sent off for silly things, that’s for sure, but we can also take the attacking threat from this game as an opportunity to review waht went right and hopefully show up at Villa Park for the lunch time kick off. IT will be a tough game but we have to keep believing in ourselves.
I think that’s all I want to say about last night’s game to be honest with you. I think it was an unfortunate and maddening way to lose a game, but once again it feels more like we aren’t getting the rub of the green, so hopefully some of that fortune comes back to help us in the coming months.
Catch you all tomorrow.
I’m as gutted as you are mate. But one has to ask why Luiz is even on the pitch when Gab is on the bench? Not a Holding fan but prefer him these days over Luiz who is past his sell by date and simply giving too many free kicks and pens away. Apology after apology doesn’t wash these days. He’s a liability and should be used as last resort sub or when we are 2 or 3 clear. Leno, we’ll that’s just him. With his form this season so far we can forgive him the odd moment of madness. We were on the slippery slide to defeat anyway and his sending off really didn’t impact the result albeit drop us down another player. Tbf, we handled ourselves admirably with 9. The early offside was clearly off not a toenail either lol. Have to take this one on the chin and hope Arteta starts to play his strongest 11 to start instead of having them watch us go behind before taking to the pitch ! Sadly Villa next does not bode well 🙁
Total disappointment against Wolves,yes i agree Louiz should be behind Gabriel and Mari when it comes to playing and Leno made a total mess of things which gave us no chance.
BUT the team played great football for 44 minutes and when down to ten then nine men they never stopped trying.
There are signs of Artetas plan starting to work.
This referee is the same one that cause Arsenal,s defeat by Chelsea last season, refusing to issue second yellow to Jorginho for a pull on Laca.
The Leicester game also still irritates me – a legitimate goal overruled and Vardy scores with their one shot on target. It was that stupid game that took us over the edge.
Mate, that’s a decent read to be fair and while I agree with you that Luiz didn’t ‘deserve’ to be sent off, but the rules are the rules. To respond to you quoting of the laws of the game I think that you’ve missed one….
Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offending player is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.) the offending player must be sent off.
I agreed he didn’t intend to make contact but, ultimately, he did and as he didn’t attempt a tackle he’s gotta go. In this case really harsh but the ref enforced the law correctly…..but he didn’t ‘shaft’ you.
Ultimately Arsenal played some really good stuff with 11 on the pitch but this ‘should have been 3/4 up’ is basically a load of cobblers. What in effect you’re (and your manager) saying is, apart from the goal obvs, is we created some fantastic chances but we missed every single one of them but we still deserved to be 3 up. Err no, you could have took those chances but you didn’t.
Anyway do me a favour and smash the Viles at the weekend!
C
Take it on the chin.More like a kick in the balls.Just watch the FA .The red won’t be rescinded.You can bet your life on that.The stitch up from an Arsenal hating ref chosen by none other than Riley.Who with his little cartel of six to seven refs know instinctively what they have to do against Arsenal.by hook or by crook.to rub salt into the wounds,Moutinho the mouthy little git scores a worldie.You just know the footballing gods are against you.