Leandro Trossard’s feedback to Arsenal gamers after purple card at Manchester City
Leandro Trossard reportedly told his team-mates he couldn’t hear the referee’s whistle before being sent off in Arsenal’s fiery contest with Manchester City.
Trossard picked up his first booking after 36 minutes for pulling back City’s winger Savinho. Then on the stroke of half-time he clattered into Bernardo Silva, then was judged by Michael Oliver to have kicked the ball away in frustration – delaying the restart – earning him a second yellow card.
Yet in the dressing room, Trossard claimed he was actually trying to pass the ball having not heard the whistle for the free kick, but still got the boot. This sour note tops a litany of moans in the aftermath of the top-of-the-table tussle.
READ MORE: Punter turns £20 into £50k with 95th and 96th minute goals in bet of the season
Click for more of the latest football newsfrom the Daily Star.
City’s players have been pointing fingers at Arsenal, crying “dark arts” like time-wasting, but official data suggests otherwise. Opta stats show the game had life for 63 minutes and 29 seconds, hitting the charts as the fifth most action-packed Premier League clash this season.
This has left fans scratching their heads about the heaps of stoppage time: eight minutes trailing the first half, and nine after the second. Fourth official Andy Madley initially flashed up six extra minutes at the death but tacked on another minute when an Arsenal player needed a patch-up, reports the Mirror.
(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s schedule had them playing away at Atalanta on Thursday, dragging themselves back home at 4am, only to head off to City two days later. So there’s no mystery as to why Gunners’ legs were cramping, particularly since they were running a man down for most of the match.
An additional two minutes were added during injury time, allowing John Stones to score a last-minute equaliser. However, there’s growing frustration over the inconsistency in the amount of injury time added in each game. Opta stats revealed the ball remained in play well above the Premier League’s target of 60 minutes.
The longest the ball has stayed in play for any match this season was during West Ham’s home defeat to City on August 31, clocking in at 66 minutes 12 seconds. PGMOL insists that added time is calculated based on injuries, substitutions, and goal celebrations, deeming it fair.
Join the Daily Star’s WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we’ll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Referee Oliver also failed to issue a yellow card to City winger Jeremy Doku, who delayed a set piece by kicking the ball away. This marks the second time this season – following Declan Rice’s second yellow for the same offence against Brighton – that an Arsenal player has been penalised for kicking the ball away while an opposition player has gone unpunished.
This lack of consistency is likely to be manager Mikel Arteta’s main complaint, while Arsenal could also highlight City players surrounding referee Oliver to contest decisions without facing any repercussions.
Referee Oliver didn’t book Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai for booting the ball away during their home loss to Bournemouth either, sparking claims of double standards. It was judged Szoboszlai was venting his frustration rather than trying to delay the game as the Reds were losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the final moments of the game at Anfield.
