Should Matteo Kovacic have seen a red card against Arsenal? A former Premier League referee believes he should have seen two
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has weighed in on the decision not to send off Matteo Kovacic during Manchester City’s loss against Arsenal.
Kovacic escapes red card against Arsenal
Manchester City lost their second Premier League game in a row to Arsenal in a 1-0 reverse, but things could have been much worse if Kovacic had been sent off for one of two reprehensible fouls in the first half.
08:48 - 09.10.2023
Arsenal vs Manchester City: 3 pillars of Arteta's victory over Guardiola
Beating Pep Guardiola is never easy, but these three things helped Arteta overcome his old mentor for the first time in the Premier League
18:37 - 08.10.2023
Arsenal vs Man City: Arsenal breaks eight years Premier League drought against the Citizens
Arsenal finally breaks an eight-year curse by defeating Pep Guardiola’s side Manchester City to continue their Premier League unbeaten run.
The Croatian midfielder could have received his marching orders for a rash challenge on Martin Odegaard midway through the first half, but referee Michael Oliver only produced a yellow card.
Kovacic incredibly produced a similar foul on Declan Rice mere minutes after the first incident, and while many inside the Emirates Stadium expected at least a second yellow card for Kovacic, Oliver looked the other way, deciding not to send the Manchester City midfielder off for a second time.
Clattenburg puts refereeing decision down to luck
After reviewing the footage from the incident, Clattenburg revealed that he believed Kovacic was very lucky not to see red on either occasion.
20:58 - 08.10.2023
Saliba happened to him: Fans mock Haaland's performance against Arsenal
Fans react as Erling Haaland's struggles in front of goal carry on in Manchester City's defeat to Arsenal.
23:57 - 08.10.2023
Arsenal vs Manchester City: Arteta reaches incredible milestone after breaking Cityzens jinx
Mikel Arteta finally claimed a win over Manchester City to reach an incredible personal milestone in the Premier League
In his column for the Daily Mail, the former Premier League official noted, “Mateo Kovacic is a very lucky boy and so is referee Michael Oliver, given Arsenal went on to win regardless of Manchester City keeping all 11 men on the pitch.
“Kovacic could have been dismissed not once, but twice. His first yellow could have been upgraded to red if VAR John Brooks had told Oliver to take a second look at his nasty tackle from behind on Martin Odegaard.
“But when Kovacic then caught Declan Rice late on the ankle, the City midfielder could easily have been shown a second yellow.
Clattenburg also noted that the only reason the decision was not getting more attention was that Arsenal won, otherwise, Oliver would have found himself in the middle of a circus, especially with the international break in tow.
Related content
08:48 - 09.10.2023
Arsenal vs Manchester City: 3 pillars of Arteta's victory over Guardiola
Beating Pep Guardiola is never easy, but these three things helped Arteta overcome his old mentor for the first time in the Premier League
06:50 - 09.10.2023
Arsenal players forced to pull out of international duty
Due to injuries, two Arsenal players have been forced to withdraw from their international squads
23:57 - 08.10.2023
Arsenal vs Manchester City: Arteta reaches incredible milestone after breaking Cityzens jinx
Mikel Arteta finally claimed a win over Manchester City to reach an incredible personal milestone in the Premier League
23:50 - 08.10.2023
Arsenal vs Man City: We will come back stronger — Guardiola promises after defeat to Gunners
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes his team played well in their defeat to Arsenal.
23:30 - 08.10.2023
Arsenal vs Man City: A special victory — Arteta hypes 12-game jinx-breaking win
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praises his team performance in their victory over Manchester City.
20:58 - 08.10.2023
Saliba happened to him: Fans mock Haaland's performance against Arsenal
Fans react as Erling Haaland's struggles in front of goal carry on in Manchester City's defeat to Arsenal.
20:15 - 08.10.2023
FOOTBALL Gabriel Martinelli’s strike hands Arsenal first win over Manchester City for the first time since 2015
Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli was the difference maker as Arsenal grabbed all three points to end their long wait for a Premier League win against Manchester City
19:54 - 08.10.2023
Arsenal vs Man City: 3 mistakes Pep Guardiola made in the defeat to the Gunners
Pep Guardiola played a solid team against Arsenal but made a few mistakes which led to their loss against the Gunners.