Man City star should have been sent off against Arsenal for clear referee error you might have missed

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Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening was certainly feisty.

The Gunners were out for revenge after the Citizens denied them a famous victory with ten men by scoring a last-minute equaliser in the reverse fixture at the Etihad in September.

Retribution was served as Arsenal thrashed City 5-1, courtesy of goals from Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri.

Erling Haaland was taunted by the home supporters throughout the game before the striker’s dad hit back on social media after the fiery encounter.

The Haaland narrative wasn’t the only aspect driving the hostility in the Premier League showdown, with another antagonistic incident going subtly under the radar on the day.

• READ MORE: Jamie Carragher made one pre-match prediction about Arsenal vs Man City – he was right

Bernardo Silva should’ve been sent off for kicking Leandro Trossard in Arsenal v City

With City behind at the break, Haaland equalised shortly after half-time with an astute header at the back post.

However, Pep Guardiola’s side were level for just 105 seconds, as Partey re-established Arsenal’s lead with a deflected effort.

Things then unravelled for the travelling team, with Lewis-Skelly adding a third minutes later.

With the game poised at 3-1 to Arsenal, City’s players grew frustrated and tempers boiled over.

Leandro Trossard found himself isolated in the corner on City’s right-hand side, and Bernardo Silva proceeded to foul the Belgian, before kicking him aggressively in the aftermath.

Arsenal were awarded with a free-kick, but Silva’s act of violent conduct didn’t see referee Peter Bankes brandish a card of any shade.

A needless and potentially dangerous action, the Portuguese should’ve seen red immediately.

VAR should’ve been able to review the incident and deem Silva’s antics as deserving of a dismissal.

While the lack of punishment didn’t ultimately impact the outcome of the game, Arsenal should feel aggrieved that the City man was allowed to play on.

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card v Wolves pales in comparison to Bernardo Silva’s actions

Lewis-Skelly was sent off for Arsenal against Wolves last weekend for a cynical trip on Matt Doherty on the edge of the Old Gold’s box.

This decision sparked outrage, and the red card was eventually overturned.

While it was clear that Lewis-Skelly’s dismissal was an error, this should raise alarm bells around the refereeing and VAR process.

Silva’s kick on Trossard was significantly more egregious and dangerous than Lewis-Skelly’s foul on Doherty, yet one was deemed violent conduct by VAR and the other wasn’t.

This ought to prompt a review of the concept of violent conduct, which appears to be being misinterpreted on a week-to-week basis in the Premier League.