Gabriel's boot met Martinez's head. Here is why there was no card.
Five minutes into Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea, Gabriel caught Emi Martinez in the head and play went on. The anger online is about a red card; the decision turned on one rule.
- Observed threads
- 8
- Source clusters
- 3
- Observed
- Updated
What happened
An Odegaard free kick produced a goalmouth scramble. Both players were on the ground when Gabriel kicked at the ball and hit Martinez's head. VAR reviewed it and restarted play with no action.
Why no card
Under Law 12, violent conduct means excessive force while not challenging for the ball. Gabriel was judged to be playing the ball, so that route closed. VAR intervenes only for a clear and obvious error, a high bar in a scramble.
What the argument is about
Chelsea fans and Haaland call it a disgrace and point to a boot in the head. Others say intent was impossible to read; Gary Neville said Gabriel simply missed the ball. Arsenal stay top on three from three.
Sources
- GiveMeSport on the Law 12 reasoning ↗
- NBC Sports live match report ↗
- Yahoo Sports on the backlash ↗
- Thread: Haaland's reaction ↗
- Thread: Arsenal fan account ↗
- Thread: play on sarcasm ↗
- Thread: Odegaard criticism ↗
- Thread: Chelsea awareness review ↗
- Thread: Chelsea midfield review ↗
- Thread: Chelsea anger at dirty play ↗
- Thread: Haaland Snapchat reaction ↗