Leandro Trossard made Arsenal’s task harder against Manchester City after picking up a red card at the end of the first half.
The Gunners had started in difficult fashion, with Erling Haaland scoring early on to give the home side the advantage.
Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Riccardo Calafiori paid off as the Italian international found the back of the net with an outrageous strike from range.
Arsenal grew into the game and eventually took the lead as Bukayo Saka’s pinpoint corner found the head of Gabriel Magalhaes, who scored his second goal in as many games.
While it seemed as though the north London side were heading into the break with a clear advantage, they were handed a huge problem.
Leandro Trossard, already on a booking, committed a foul before kicking the ball away and receiving a second yellow card.
It was almost a repeat of the same incident that saw Declan Rice sent off against Brighton just a few weeks earlier.
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Leandro Trossard’s red card reaction in Man City vs Arsenal
The red card came as a huge blow for Arsenal in the clash against Man City, putting them one player down at the break, despite leading.
The supporters were far from happy, taking to social media to give their thoughts on the incident as it happened.
“Why do we always get this?” one fan asked in reply to the situation, while another said: “The refs strike again.”
Others saw the situation as far from ideal by Trossard, claiming: “Silly from Trossard but I’m tired of refs altering games like this. City player kicked the ball away early in the first half, no yellow.”
“Trossard was so so silly with that fr it’s half time you committed a foul why would you kick that ball away”
It was also compared to Cesc Fabregas’ red card against Barcelona all those years ago.
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Arsenal furious with Leandro Trossard’s red card
All of the Arsenal players were furious with Michael Oliver’s decision to send off Trossard, with Arteta showing his fury on the touchline too.
While many may argue over the second yellow card for delaying the restart, the Gunners will be incensed over the decision to not show a yellow card earlier in the half to Jeremy Doku.
Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman said on BBC 5Live: “Man City will feel things have not gone their way, but they have got a huge one there.
“In my opinion that is harsh, Leandro Trossard goes for a challenge. He is committed and the ball bounces next to him – he is already committed to winning the next challenge.”
It remains to be seen just how big of a call it is, but it’s a repeat of the situation surrounding Rice at Brighton.
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