Erling Haaland saved Gabriel from receiving a red card for a controversial clash of heads, a former Premier League referee has suggested. The pair clashed during Arsenal’s 2-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Gabriel appeared to thrust forward while both players pressed their heads together, earning him a red card for violent behavior.
However, neither the referee nor VAR considered the incident worthy of a sending off, and both players were shown yellow cards instead. But Gabriel was later informed that Haaland’s actions had actually saved her life. Former top ref Mark Halsey told The Sun newspaper: “They both stood up, faced each other and put their heads together. Then Gabriel put his head towards Haaland.”
“Some will argue that Gabriel should have been given a red card for the violence, and others will say, ‘Well, the military wasn’t there.’
“It’s subjective, some people will say yes, some people will say no. Overall, I think the two yellow cards were the right thing to do. If you look at Haaland, I think he did Gabriel a huge favor by staying on his feet.”
“In previous games we’ve seen players go down, red cards and three-match suspensions. I think Gabriel has a lot to thank Haaland for.
“I think Anthony Taylor made the right call. He got two yellow cards for being aggressive towards each other. For me, he was right.”
Haaland gave his assessment of the confrontation with Gabriel, and seemed to agree that the Brazilian could have been sacked had he been a little more theatrical.
He said, “I think it’s always like this: A lot of fights and stuff like that. It’s up to other people to decide whether I win that fight or not.”
“Of course I scored the goal. We won the battle at the decisive moment. The cross was perfect. It was a great goal. In the end we won.”
Haaland added: “If I go to the floor there, it won’t be until someone really attacks me, but then I might get a red card. I don’t know because I haven’t seen the situation. That’s the way it is. It’s not going to go to the floor. For me, I don’t understand why he would come in my face.”
City cut Arsenal’s advantage at the top of the Premier League to just three points with victory at the Etihad. Josep Guardiola’s side could leapfrog their rivals as they face relegation-threatened Burnley in midweek.
