Days have passed since Arsenal’s win over Wolves, but Mark Clattenburg can’t get one moment of the match off his mind.
If there was a prize for the worst win of the season, Arsenal would’ve earned it against Wolves, winning courtesy of two own goals in a terrible performance.
Fortunately, Mikel Arteta got the job done; as if his side hadn’t won, there would be a huge uproar.
Perhaps, if Arsenal had dropped points to Wolves, there would be more discussion about Hwang Hee-chan’s foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly, a challenge that could’ve reduced the Old Gold to 10 men.
Mark Clattenburg can’t believe Wolves weren’t shown a red card against Arsenal
Speaking exclusively to Arsenal Insider during the match, Mark Clattenburg thought Hwang should’ve been sent off.
The Korean forward flew into a challenge, studs showing right into Lewis-Skelly’s ankle.
Clattenburg shared his immediate thoughts on the foul in-play, and now that he’s had time to revise the incident, he’s doubled down on his opinion that VAR got it completely wrong.
“I’ve listened to experts again, and they say he’s pulling out of the challenge. I don’t believe he is, I think this is a bad challenge,” Clattenburg said on the Beyond The Back Four podcast.
Fill the blanks: Hwang’s foul on Lewis-Skelly was __________ than Caicedo’s on Merino.
Having refereed 291 Premier League matches, Clattenburg saw his fair share of dangerous tackles and, with his experience, explained why Hwang’s warranted a red card in his eyes.
“He’s come in with speed, a lot of force. The malice is where the foot hits his opponent’s leg; it’s not on the foot, it’s on the ankle or even just slightly higher than the ankle, and even if he’s pulling out, the actual tackle itself could’ve endangered the safety of the opponent.
“Lewis-Skelly was sent off for less a couple of seasons ago, yes he won his appeal, but this challenge could easily break a player’s leg.
“I put that more in the category of a red card than certainly Gomez’s in the Liverpool game, where it’s more of a swinging leg, this is stretching for the ball and with the speed it had, I was shocked it wasn’t given as a red card.”
Unsurprisingly, the issue of consistency of decisions from Premier League officials was a talking point after matchday 16, leaving Clattenburg shocked that a red card wasn’t shown.
What PGMOL said about Hwang Hee-chan’s foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly
So, after hearing a former referee’s opinion on the incident, let’s see what PGMOL had to say on the matter.
Change my mind: This was the worst refereeing decision Arsenal have experienced this season.
During the match, the Premier League Match Centre issued a statement on X to clarify how VAR came to the decision of a yellow card.
In the view of VAR, there was reason to believe that Hwang was pulling out of the challenge, a decision that many will disagree with.
The main thing is that Lewis-Skelly wasn’t hurt, as the repercussions of the challenge, had his foot been planted, don’t bear thinking about.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
