Controversy did not go amiss at The Emirates on Tuesday night with plenty of big decisions made by referee Glenn Nyberg between Arsenal and Bayern Munich – the game eventually ending in a 2-2 draw....CONTINUE READING
Arsenal took the lead but found themselves chasing an equaliser in the last 15 minutes, before Leandro Trossard slammed home a well-placed finish from 15 yards. Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead early on.
But then, Bayern countered against Arsenal – taking advantage of some slack passing and Leon Goretzka slid in Serge Gnabry to score against his old side. Then, a mistake from Arsenal defender William Saliba.
He conceded a penalty, allowing Harry Kane to score his 15th goals in 20 games against Arsenal – the first of course, in a Bayern shirt. But Trossard made it 2-2 late on, with Arsenal at least deserving a draw.
Nyberg, a 35-year-old referee, was handed the tie. A big call – and he had plenty of big calls to make. The man in the middle had to tend with two rivals that included plenty of sub-plots and bite from previous.
Harry Kane and Eric Dier against their old foes, Gnabry against his old side, Leroy Sane against his former assistant manager at Man City.
Kane could have been shown a red card for an elbow on Arsenal’s Gabriel. Bukayo Saka was incandescent after the full-time whistle, adamant that he should have had a penalty for a foul from Manuel Neuer. Thomas Tuchel thinks Bayern should have had a penalty, Gabriel handballing.
Kane spoke to TNT Sports after the match and Rio Ferdinand said that before the interview, “off camera”, that Bayern should have had a penalty for Gabriel’s handball – describing it as a “schoolboy” error.
Ferdinand said about Kane, on TNT Sports’ Champions League Highlights Show: “Harry Kane, when he walked out, the first thing he said to us off camera, he said ‘look at this decision, it’s schoolboy stuff’.”
The more and more you watch Gabriel’s decision to pick the ball-up, after the whistle had gone and David Raya had passed him the ball, the more you think it is a penalty. An awakward one, but a penalty.
It would have taken a brave referee to give the penalty, especially in front of an Emirates crowd and in the midst of a feisty encounter in a Champions League quarter-final – with so, so much on the line for both.
But, Gabriel and Arsenal have got lucky with that one and now, they could use it to their advantage in Germany next week when the Gunners go to The Allianz Arena. Bayern will now surely be favourites…CONTINUE READING>>
