Arsenal edges past Chelsea in controversial Premier League encounter

Arsenal triumphed over Chelsea in their Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, coming from behind to secure a 2-1 victory. However, the match was marked by several contentious moments.

The officials sparked debate by not penalising Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães after he kicked Emiliano Martinez in the head during the first half. Wayne Rooney expressed that the Brazilian should have received a straight red card for the incident.

Chelsea players and supporters were also left frustrated when Declan Rice tripped his England teammate Morgan Rogers while the Blues were advancing in the second half. Rogers received a yellow card for his actions, while Rice was not punished.

Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has now stated that Martin Odegaard's goal in the 50th minute, which ultimately secured the win for Arsenal, should have been disallowed.

Odegaard was set up by summer signing Christos Tzolis and calmly finished past Martinez, marking his third goal of the season. Hackett contends that the goal should have been ruled out due to a foul in the build-up. Approximately 15 seconds prior to Odegaard's goal, Arsenal regained possession after Ezri Konsa threw Morgan Rogers to the ground.

After reviewing the footage, Hackett believes Chelsea ought to have been awarded a free-kick, which would have negated the goal. He told Football Insider:

"Common sense says that it's got to be a free-kick. Are we watching rugby? Or are we watching football?

"The Arsenal player has wrapped him brought him around. The body movement is unnatural. It's a spinning motion and you can't fake that in that situation. For me, that's a fairly straight-forward simple free-kick.

"I think what Kavanagh was trying to do was, when we talk about that boiling kettle, I think he was quite happy to raise his tolerance levels, understanding it was a local derby."

Hackett also shared his thoughts on Gabriel's challenge on Martinez, disagreeing with Rooney's view that Gabriel should have been sent off.

"It is evident that the referee did not have a view of that incident,” Hackett told Football Insider. “The action by the Arsenal player, in my opinion, showed no malice - and therefore I put it under the banner of accidental.

“VAR, also viewing that incident, wisely in my opinion, decided not to come in.”

When asked why VAR did not intervene, Hackett stated on X (Twitter): “At worst it was reckless and a yellow card. VAR cannot intervene in yellow. The action did not fulfill a red card offence.”

Arsenal currently sits second in the Premier League table, trailing Manchester City only on goal difference. Chelsea is positioned two places behind in fourth.

Source: GiveMeSport