‘Funniest thing I’ve seen’ – Fans spot Arsenal star Leandro Trossard’s 6-word comment about Michael Oliver to Wolves ace
ARSENAL fans think they’ve spotted Leandro Trossard making a “hilarious” comment about referee Michael Oliver during the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.
Oliver has been the subject of much chatter since the match after controversially sending off Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly.
But it was his first yellow card to Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes that had Trossard passing comment on the Premier League official.
Gomes, who was ultimately sent off for a second yellow card offence in the second half, was booked for delaying the restart in the first half.
And Arsenal star Trossard was quick to try and intervene while the Brazilian protested his innocence to Micheal Oliver.
Gomes was hoping to talk his way out of the booking, but Trossard reminded the 23-year-old that he had suffered the same fate against Man City earlier in the season.
A clip of the Belgian forward appeared to show him saying to Gomes: “That’s what he did to me”.
Trossard was sent off against Man City back in September after receiving a second yellow card for delaying the restart.
Arsenal fans were loving their star’s hark back to the 2-2 draw and reacted on social media.
One wrote: “Funniest thing I’ve seen today”.
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While another added: “Trossard is low-key hilarious”.
A third joked: “He said, ‘welcome to the club bro’.”
And a fourth posted: “I’m still laughing at this clip the next day”.
Oliver would later send off 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly for a trip some 90-yards from the Arsenal box, sparking fury from former players and pundits across the football world.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claimed he was “fuming” about the decision, but remained calm enough to suggest that he won’t be complaining.
Arteta told reporters that he hopes that an appeal won’t even be necessary and that the PGMOL will overturn the decision themselves as they did with Bruno Fernandes’ red card against Tottenham earlier in the season.
Ian Wright claimed that the refereeing in the Premier League is “nowhere near it” in a video on social media.
While Match of the Day host Mark Chapman claimed the red card was “baffling and nonsensical from supposedly one of our best referees”.
Alan Shearer blasted it as “one of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a long time”
He said: “As a referee, you can get it wrong on the pitch, you might see something which is incorrect.
“How on earth Darren England, the VAR, thinks that the referee has got that right and there is no need to send him to the screen is beyond me.
MARK HALSEY: Questions have to be asked of VAR after Lewis-Skelly sending off... here's what SHOULD have happened
By Mark Halsey
VAR Darren England should have recommended a review as soon as referee Michael Oliver showed Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly a straight red card for his challenge on Wolves’ Matt Doherty.
An official has to decide whether the challenge was careless or reckless — careless is a free-kick only, reckless is a yellow card — or worthy of a red card.
When a player lunges at an opponent with one or two feet from the front, the side or from the back which endangers the player’s safety with excess force or/and brutality, it must be sanctioned with a red.
I saw it as a reckless challenge worthy of a yellow, not a red.
So why did Darren not recommend a review? Once the red card was shown, the VAR should have intervened.
If Michael had the opportunity to view the challenge again, I’m sure he would have changed his mind, cancelled the red card and issued a yellow.
As for Arsenal fans’ views that Michael is biased against them, I’m not buying into that. You can never question the integrity of a match official and Michael is one of our best referees.
Officials cannot get everything right and that is why we have VAR to help. So questions have to be asked of Darren.
With the second yellow for Joao Gomes after catching Jurrien Timber on the ankle, you could argue that was a worse challenge than the Lewis-Skelly one.
“I just cannot see and work out what VAR is thinking going along with Michael Oliver’s decision. No wonder it gets criticised by so many people.”
And BBC Five Live pundit Pat Nevin said labelling such a challenge serious foul play was setting “a bar so low even a limbo dancing snake couldn’t get under it”.
Even ex-Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara said: “I’m all for Arsenal having a beast but that is never ever a red card, one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. Jheez lol”.
While the comments on social media from fans went too far, with the PGMOL releasing a statement revealing Oliver had been subject to death threats and “abhorrent abuse”.
It read: “We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal fixture.
“No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours.
“The police are aware, and a number of investigations have commenced. We are supporting Michael, and all those affected, and are determined to tackle this unacceptable behaviour.
“Sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times.
“We will continue to support all investigations.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright hits out at Myles Lewis Skelly red card decision
IAN WRIGHT has joined the long-list of former professionals and pundits to be left reeling by the decision to send off Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly on Saturday.
The cynical challenge left most fans expecting a yellow card, but the Hale End graduate was shown red by referee Michael Oliver instead.
Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes led the on-field protests as Arsenal’s players showed their frustration at the decision.
And now Gunners icon Ian Wright has weighed in on the incident, claiming that it’s “never a red”.
In a video posted on social media by the former Premier Legue bagsman, he fumed: “It’s a joke!
“Anyone that has ever played the game, and I’m not even talking Premier League, I’m talking five-a-side, Sunday league, knows that it’s never a red.
“Yellow card, nobody says a word. Time and time again, this level of refereeing [and] the decisions in the Premier League… the inconsistency, the excuses, the apologies.
“All of them are just the centre of attention for me. We can’t criticise too hard because, where are the refs going to come from? Where are we going to get them?
“But I’m sorry, this is the highest level of football and we do not have the highest level of referees. When will the Premier League bring the best refs into the so called ‘best league in the world’?
“Because at the moment, with this level of refereeing, we’re nowhere near it. Nowhere near it.”