The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) might have felt relieved that a pivotal decision in Tottenham’s victory over Liverpool last week didn’t affect Arsenal’s game against Manchester City on Sunday, amidst ongoing controversies about refereeing decisions.
Had Gabriel Martinelli not scored in the dying moments of Arsenal’s match against Manchester City due to a deflection off Nathan Ake, Mateo Kovacic would have been the focal point of attention.
Sunday’s game saw minimal action, with both managers missing key players and appearing content with a draw. Ederson wasn’t seriously challenged before conceding the winning goal unexpectedly, and despite Martinelli’s impactful substitution at halftime, City had limited chances to equalize after David Raya’s early free-kick almost put Arsenal in front.
Kovacic narrowly escaped a red card in the first half, which would have triggered more protests from Arsenal fans if they hadn’t won all three points.
The Croatian midfielder had a turbulent few minutes before halftime, flirting with dismissal twice.
Kovacic made a reckless tackle on Martin Odegaard initially, catching him with raised studs as the Arsenal captain received a pass from William Saliba.
Although Michael Oliver promptly showed a yellow card, VAR reviewed the incident for a potential red card due to the severity of the tackle. However, Oliver’s decision stood as Kovacic’s foul was considered not dangerous enough to warrant a change.
Many felt the challenge deserved an “orange card,” a middle ground between a booking and a red card. Oliver’s straight red card would have prevented VAR from intervening.
Just six minutes later, Kovacic made another reckless tackle on an Arsenal midfielder, resulting in a more serious offense.
This time, he caught Declan Rice late, prompting concern from Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville, who exclaimed, “Oh no,” as Kovacic lunged in without making contact with the ball and caught Rice’s ankle.
Although Oliver appeared to have missed the foul, it seemed straightforward, yet the referee chose to ignore Arsenal’s appeals for Kovacic’s dismissal.
“He’s very, very fortunate!” Neville remarked as Kovacic made contact with Rice’s ankle. “He should be off,” Neville commented during the broadcast.
Senior Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher echoed the sentiment, stating that Kovacic should have been sent off for the combination of his challenges.
Oliver’s decision not to give Kovacic a second yellow card left VAR powerless, as it was determined that Oliver hadn’t made a clear and obvious error in his assessment of the tackle on Odegaard, resulting in a yellow card.
Introduced to the Premier League, VAR can only alert the referee to a potential red card. It’s not within VAR’s jurisdiction to decide whether to issue a second yellow card.
While Kovacic’s challenge on Rice was late and reckless, it didn’t warrant a straight red card.
