Michael Keane was in the spotlight on several occasions during the opening 45 minutes as Everton faced Arsenal.
The Everton No.5 caused a VAR check after tripping Kai Havertz inside the box, although officials deemed the contact to be “minimal” and let the England international off.
If that was not enough to leave Mikel Arteta frustrated, the Spaniard was left furious again as Michael Keane went unpunished for kicking the ball away.
Were Everton fortunate to get away with this one? 🫣
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Kai Havertz of Arsenal is challenged by Michael Keane of Everton.
Credit: Getty Images/Justin Setterfield
Mikel Arteta “nearly chased” Michael Keane after Everton defender delayed the restart
Arsenal saw Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard both sent off for kicking the ball away and ‘delaying the restart’ last season, so incidents of this nature evidently mean a lot to Arteta.
That is why Sam Blitz of Sky Sports claimed that the Arsenal boss “nearly chased” Keane down the touchline after this moment, commenting on the “dugout antics” live from inside the Emirates Stadium.
He said: “More dugout antics as Michael Keane concedes a foul and kicks the ball away right in front of Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal manager nearly chased the Everton defender down the touchline! No punishment given to Keane.”
We do not believe the contact from Keane on Havertz was enough for a penalty, but in fairness, Arsenal have a right to be annoyed about the 33-year-old not receiving a yellow card after kicking the ball away, given the decisions made last season.
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The lack of consistency from Premier League officials continues, but on this occasion, Moyes will selfishly not mind one bit.
The William Saliba incident which angered David Moyes
Both Moyes and Arteta were visibly on edge during the opening 45 minutes, with the Everton boss angrily confronting officials after David Raya accidentally punched William Saliba in the head, leading to lengthy treatment.
The issue was that the Frenchman was mostly off the pitch, but having deliberately placed his legs over the line, the game was unable to continue.
It was a weak piece of officiating from Andy Madley.
The 42-year-old ought to have told Saliba to get off the pitch entirely, but instead allowed the Gunners to regroup and kill a period of the game where Everton were building up some momentum.
Who was your Man of the Match in what was a positive performance? 👏
The players deserved so much more… 😡
Michael Keane in action for Everton during a Premier League clash against Arsenal
Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Perhaps Madley had realised the error of his ways by the time Keane – who came in for the injured James Tarkowski – booted the ball away right in front of Arteta, deciding not to penalise the defender having allowed Saliba to waste several minutes.
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