After a weekend of controversial referee decisions, it seems that Arsenal may have just been given their own helping hand.
In their crunch tie against Burnley – a game in which victory will bring them within touching distance of their first Premier League trophy in two decades – they were let off the hook when Kai Havertz brought down Lesley Ugochukwu just as the visitors were launching a counterattack.
The German striker, who had given the Gunners the lead in the first half, leapt for Ugochukwu and brought his boot down on the back of the former Chelsea midfielder’s calf.
Referee Paul Tierney immediately moved to show Havertz a yellow card while VAR checked the incident.
‘I don’t think that’s right,’ Gary Neville said on commentary at the time. ‘I think he’s a lucky boy, I’d get him off the pitch straight away.
‘The referee has got a great view of it. It’s not just a trip, it’s the studs on the standing leg, well above the ball. He basically needs to leave the pitch now, I think.’
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