Arsenal midfielder Jorginho may have been fortunate to avoid a red card when he featured against Brighton in the recent Premier League clash.
It followed a controversial clash between the Gunners and the Seagulls, with referee calls grabbing all of the attention.
While Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal the lead, it wasn’t to be the main contribution in the game as Brighton’s Joao Pedro scored to cancel out the opener.
That came from a controversial penalty for Brighton, with William Saliba seemingly clashing heads with Pedro for the spot-kick to be awarded.
Mikel Arteta criticised the penalty decision, though Dermot Gallagher believed a penalty against Arsenal was fair.
It wasn’t the only big moment for VAR, as Jorginho could’ve received a red card in the clash for a missed moment from Arsenal’s point of view.
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Dermot Gallagher on Jorginho red card in Brighton vs Arsenal
One moment that went under the radar was a potential red card for Jorginho during the penalty for a bizarre moment.
The midfielder was seen grappling with a Brighton player during the penalty run-up, with the Arsenal star looking to get free.
He lashes out by flailing a leg, which fails to make contact with the opposition but could’ve been viewed as violent conduct regardless.
VAR checked the decision but didn’t award a red card, with an explanation from ex-referee Dermot Gallagher revealing why.
He said on Sky Sports: “We talk about contact, it’s got to be violent or brutal. I think that’s petulant.
“I think what happens is, people say to me ‘Why wasn’t it checked?’ well it was checked because I watched the VAR checking it, and he decides it’s petulant.
“If the referee sees that, he can do a number of things, he’s got his armoury, yellow card, red card. The only thing the VAR has got is red card.
“Now I don’t think it’s a red card so therefore he’s got to back off, he’s got nowhere else to go so it gets washed away.”
It may be something of a lucky escape for Jorginho though, given the potential to cause harm in that incident.
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Arsenal must keep their cool with referee decisions
It’s clear that refereeing and decisions have become frustrating for Arsenal, but they can’t allow that to impact them.
In the middle of an injury and illness crisis, having Jorginho unavailable for the upcoming clashes for a red card could’ve been costly.
Fortunately, he didn’t receive that sending-off, however, he could’ve avoided it altogether if he was able to keep his cool.
They are frustrating those in Arsenal colours, but focus has to be realigned to performances and how the team avoid letting those decisions impact the game.
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