Kai Havertz was wrongly denied a penalty against Everton, but it was William Saliba’s ‘dark arts’ tactic that also piqued ex-referee Dermot Gallagher’s attention.
Given how Arsenal beat Everton, the refereeing decisions during the contest have become irrelevant as Max Dowman stole the headlines.
Mikel Arteta needed the 16-year-old to change the game, and PGMOL might be thankful that he did, as there would have been a sizeable uproar about the penalty shout Havertz was denied.
Alan Smith couldn’t believe how quickly VAR reviewed the incident, as upon review, there was clear contact from Michael Keane on the Arsenal forward.
Havertz’s penalty shout was later analysed on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch by Dermot Gallagher, but it wasn’t the only incident from the game that was looked at.
YES or NO: Did Kai Havertz deserve a penalty against Everton?
Dermot Gallagher reacts to William Saliba’s time-wasting tactic against Everton
While Gallagher said, “I thought it was a penalty – he clips his heel,” in reaction to Havertz’s penalty shout, he also spent some time discussing a controversial moment from William Saliba.
Late in the game, Saliba took a hit and went down, requiring medical treatment from Arsenal’s staff.
The discussion came as it was noticed that the Frenchman left his foot on the pitch while the rest of his body was off it, meaning that referee Andy Madley could not restart play.
On Ref Watch, Gallagher explained the implications of Saliba’s tactic.
“The ref can’t restart the game when his leg is like that. You are almost at the mercy of the physio, ‘Can you move him off the pitch?’ The answer is going to be a big fat no. ‘I can’t move him, I have to test him’.”
Co-host Jay Bothroyd dubbed it a ‘dark arts’ tactic.
“Dark arts definitely. Football is a game where you have to make the most of the rules. Until the rules change, people are going to take advantage.”
Arsenal had the opportunity to slow the game down and took it, which will undoubtedly rouse those who frequently fume about the way Arteta’s side play.
Like it or not, it was a clever move from Saliba, who was able to finish the game after being checked over and help Arsenal on their way to a win.
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