Arsenal arrived at Molineux Stadium to play against Wolves last night. With plenty of zeal and zest, they started the game on a positive note. They were so dominant throughout the first half so much so that they didn’t even let the hosts take control of the game.
In the first leg against Wolves at the Emirates, Arsenal surrendered at the hands of the opposition. The visitors conceded one but scored two goals and secured an emphatic victory. However, Wolves were far from being impressive at home in the first half.
The Gunners dominated the first half like a hot knife through butter. Nicolas Pepe scored a stunning goal to put Arsenal in front. However, the game turned upside down after defender David Luiz was sent off for tripping Wolves’ player William Jose in the penalty box.
The incident happened in the injury time of the first half. According to some sections of the fans, there is not even a whisker of contact between the striker and the defender. On the other hand, some say there is a little bit of contact. However, the referee’s decision was a bit ‘harsh’. Wolves’ player Ruben Neves converted the penalty with ease to level the score.
In the second half, Arsenal failed to channelize their aggression right away after being reduced to 10 men. Joao Moutinho scored a stunner in the 49th minute. In the 72nd minute, goalkeeper Bernd Leno was sent off for weird handball outside the penalty area. Arsenal played with 9 players on the turf and ended up losing the game by 2-1.
Arsenal defender Luiz livid with the decision:
The Brazilian international also had a chat with the referee Craig Pawson after the red card incident. However, everything went against the defender and Arsenal. After the game, Luiz vents his frustration out on his Instagram handle with a caption saying: “Unbelievable”.
His caption also followed some exclamation marks and 7 angry emojis. It just goes to show how Luiz got annoyed after the controversial incident. Meanwhile, former Chelsea defender John Terry lashed out at the referee for his decision.
The referee’s decision changed the entire complexion of the game. John Terry spoke in favour of his former Chelsea team-mate while replying to a Sky Sports post about the incident with: “Never a red card! Double jeopardy.”
Meanwhile, some users disagreed with his comment on Instagram. In reply to a remark disagreeing with him, Aston Villa assistant manager John Terry added: “Anyone who has ever played the game can see David never attempts to play the ball!!!
“He actually pulls out of the challenge, which means penalty but no red card. You obviously don’t play and, also, check the rules yourself”. The referee and the VAR came under fire for ruining the beautiful game.
The Gunners set to appeal:
Meanwhile, Arsenal are all set to make a strong appeal for the red card issued to Luiz against Wolves. Although the TV replays showed Luiz attempting to get out of the way, the contact was tough to check. Manager Mikel Arteta also reacted to the incident after the match.
“I’ve seen the replay 10 times, from five different angles and I cannot see any contact so I would like to see VAR has different angles. I’m sure they made the decision that they based on that they have seen something but I’m sitting here expecting to see something and I’m not seeing anything,” Arteta added.
