Arsenal fans have argued that they have found themselves on the wrong side of refereeing decisions for years, and at this point, who can blame them?
Despite securing an impressive victory over Manchester City on Sunday, the Gunners were still dealt a bad hand when it came to a big refereeing decision, as Michael Oliver did not send off midfielder Mateo Kovacic despite the Croatian making an almost-concerted effort to receive a red card.
Kovacic initially picked up a yellow card where a red could arguably have been given, before the 29-year-old flew into another tackle just minutes later which should have seen him receive a second yellow card, but both the referee and VAR failed to make the right call.
Howard Webb defends Michael Oliver
Referee chief, and former match official Howard Webb, has analysed the decision over Kovacic, and came to the conclusion that whilst the midfielder was lucky to not receive the red, Oliver’s decision to not send off a player so early in such a big game was justifiable.
“Second yellows are something that VAR is not able to get involved in. I think he (Kovacic) was an extremely fortunate player to stay on the field of play,” he stated on Sky Sports.
“The referee, one of our best referees, one of the best referees in the world Michael Oliver, will no doubt review that. He doesn’t want to have a negative impact on the game by overreacting to something, and sometimes players will be on a yellow card, and there will be pressure to show a second one.
“Pressure will come from players on the field. But it’s also true that if you under-react, you have a negative impact on the game. So I think when he reflects on it, he will realise the second one should have been a yellow card as well.”
Refereeing hypocrisy
Webb’s attempt to justify Oliver’s decision may only further anger Arsenal fans. In 2022, Michael Oliver was the referee who awarded two yellow cards within 10 seconds to Gabriel Martinelli against Wolves, a decision which left manager Mikel Arteta furious with the PGMOL.
The decision at the time, was a prime example of Oliver “overreacting” to a foul, where he gave two very harsh yellow cards back to back, in a scenario which has not been seen since in the Premier League.
His decision to not award Kovacic a clear red card against Arsenal in an attempt to not have a negative impact on the game, screams hypocrisy in light of his previous decision.
Webb’s comments have seen him admit that the decision was wrong, and Arsenal will be very angry indeed that the opposition, the size of the game and the timing of the offences all appear to have played a part in awarding the wrong decision against them.
Webb has essentially hinted that Oliver did not want to disrupt such a big game at the top of the Premier League early on in the first half. Arsenal fans will now rightfully argue that a red card offence, is a red card offence no matter what game is being played.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
