Arsenal suffered a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta made the brave decision of starting Gabriel Jesus instead of Viktor Gyokeres up front, and it’s safe to say that didn’t work out.
The Brazilian worked really hard, like he always does, but he didn’t get close to scoring and was replaced in the second half.
However, while he was on the pitch at the Emirates, Jesus was involved in an incident that arguably deserved a second look from the referee.
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What Gabriel Jesus was spotted saying to the referee after Arsenal lost to Manchester United
One of the things Jesus does incredibly well is create chaos in and around the box.
The former Manchester City man is a great dribbler, isn’t afraid to get himself stuck in and is extremely unpredictable in tight spaces.
That could be why Arteta chose Jesus against Manchester United, and he was involved in a controversial incident with Lisandro Martinez inside the box.
While trying to shield the ball near the byline, the United defender appeared to hit the Arsenal man in the back of his head.
The ball was already out of play, so it was not going to be a penalty, but Jesus seemed to argue that it was violent conduct.
The referee took no action, and the VAR refused to intervene. That didn’t sit well with the Arsenal number nine.
Right after the full-time whistle, Jesus went straight towards the referee and questioned him again. He gestured about getting hit in the back of his head and pointed to the spot where the incident occurred.
Referee Craig Pawson could be seen shaking his head in disagreement.
READ MORE: Mark Clattenburg speaks on Lisandro Martinez and Gabriel Jesus incident during Arsenal vs Man Utd
Be honest. Did Lisandro Martinez deserve a red card for doing this to Gabriel Jesus?
Arsenal fans react to Lisandro Martinez and Gabriel Jesus incident
Arsenal fans cannot complain about the result because their players just did not do enough to get a win against Manchester United.
However, it would likely have been a completely different game had Martinez received his marching orders for striking Jesus in the head.
Arsenal supporters are adamant that it was a red card offence.
One fan tweeted: “It’s pretty shocking that Martinez can swing a closed fist at the back of Jesus’ head and it gets passed in seconds by VAR. You can say Jesus sold the severity – he did – but that’s unquestionably intentional and violent conduct.”
Another wrote: “How is it not a red card through VAR that Martinez literally punched Jesus in the back of the head? Explain.”
“How is Martinez still on the pitch? Swings one punch at Jesus and missed, but hit his head with another. Clenched fists, zero intent to go for the ball,” said another.
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