Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher thinks Peter Bankes was right to rule out Randal Kolo Muani’s second goal against Arsenal in the North London Derby.
Arsenal won 4-1 against Tottenham to rub salt into the wounds of their rivals’ relegation woes.
Though the result read as Arsenal’s biggest away win over Spurs in the Premier League era, the game could have been a lot different.
Tottenham scored a second goal in the 53rd minute, in what would have levelled the game at 2-2, but the strike was disallowed due to a push on Gabriel Magalhaes.
In real-time, the challenge looked soft and as though Gabriel could have got away with it, but Dermot Gallagher has set the record straight.
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Dermot Gallagher explains why Tottenham’s second goal against Arsenal was disallowed after the push on Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel was a lucky man, as he went down under very little pressure, but referee Peter Bankes saw the Brazilian fall and blew the whistle straight away.
It came as no surprise that the goal was featured on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, as Gallagher and co-host Jay Bothroyd shared their verdicts.
While Bothroyd believes that Gabriel ‘fooled the referee’ by going down once he felt contact, Gallagher thinks it only made the referee’s call stronger.
Honest answers only, should Tottenham’s second goal have been disallowed?
Was Gabriel lucky here?
“The referee gives it. The on-field decision is always going to stand,” Gallagher explained.
“He thinks there is enough of a push. VAR is never going to say he’s got it wrong as the evidence is there.”
Unsurprisingly, Bankes’ decision stood to the dismay of Spurs fans, but it wasn’t the only time that Gabriel might’ve thought himself to be lucky in the eyes of the law.
Dermot Gallagher says whether Gabriel could have been sent off against Tottenham
There was another occasion when Bankes had a crucial decision to make with Gabriel, as the Arsenal defender collided with Kolo Muani, a challenge that some deemed to deny a goalscoring opportunity.
If that were the case, a red card could’ve been shown, but in Gallagher’s eyes, that was never going to happen.
“I don’t think it’s a red card at all. If he gives a foul, I accept that. The ball runs through to the keeper. The striker isn’t in possession of the ball,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s any danger of him being sent off, but if he gives a foul, he can’t argue.”
It was an eventful game for Gabriel, and one that the Brazilian will be relieved that he emerged from on the winning side.
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