REUTERS/Tony O Brien
Arsenal got the better of Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they fought back from 1-0 down to win 2-1. The game was not without controversy, though.
The officials caused a stir by not punishing Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães after he kicked Emiliano Martinez in the head in the first half. Wayne Rooney believed the Brazilian should've been given a straight red card.
Chelsea players and fans were also left incensed when Declan Rice tripped England teammate Morgan Rogers while the Blues were on the attack in the second half. Rogers was given a yellow card for his actions, while Rice escaped punishment.
Odegaard's Goal Should've Been Ruled Out, Says Ex-PGMOL Chief
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Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has now claimed that Martin Odegaard's 50th minute goal, which turned out to be the winner, should've been disallowed.
Arsenal's captain was picked out by summer signing Christos Tzolis and the Norwegian midfielder coolly finished past Martinez to score his third goal of the campaign.
Hackett believes that the goal should've been ruled out for a foul in the build-up. Around 15 seconds before Odegaard found the back of the net, Arsenal won possession after Ezri Konsa threw Morgan Rogers to the ground.
Having reviewed the footage, Hackett believes Chelsea should have been awarded a free-kick and the goal ruled out. He told Football Insider:
"Common sense says that it's got to be a free-kick. Are we watching rugby? Or are we watching football?
"The Arsenal player has wrapped him brought him around. The body movement is unnatural. It's a spinning motion and you can't fake that in that situation. For me, that's a fairly straight-forward simple free-kick.
"I think what Kavanagh was trying to do was, when we talk about that boiling kettle, I think he was quite happy to raise his tolerance levels, understanding it was a local derby."
Verdict Given on Gabriel's Challenge on Martinez
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Hackett also gave his assessment on Gabriel's challenge on Martinez. He does not agree with Rooney that Gabriel should've been sent off.
"It is evident that the referee did not have a view of that incident,” Hackett told Football Insider. “The action by the Arsenal player, in my opinion, showed no malice - and therefore I put it under the banner of accidental.
“VAR, also viewing that incident, wisely in my opinion, decided not to come in.”
Asked why VAR didn’t get involved, Hackett said on X (Twitter): “At worst it was reckless and a yellow card. VAR cannot intervene in yellow. The action did not fulfill a red card offence.”
Arsenal remain in second in the Premier League table, only behind Manchester City by virtue of goals scored. Chelsea are two places further back in fourth.