My take on the penalty claims is that one was a strong claim and the other had enough there to deserve a good look.
The one where Trossard clattered into Wirtz seemed pretty clear to me. In any other area of the pitch it is a free kick. We have conceded penalties this season for significantly less, and Arsenal can count themselves very lucky that it was not given. On our end, it feeds into the wider narrative of getting short shrift from the officials, and there is a wider investigation to be had there (Paul Tomkins documented loads of it in a large piece some time ago). Ultimately the PGMOL should be disbanded and something fit for purpose put in its place.
The other penalty claim was not as clear for me, but it was worth a look and on another day might have yielded a penalty. Frimpong was about to plant his foot and Hincapie was a tiny fraction of a second ahead in planting his foot. I couldnāt quite tell if it was a little kick or not, but to my eye it just looked like both players were planting their foot, and our man rolled his ankle as he didnāt get his foot down squarely. Had we conceded a penalty for that, I would have felt it was harsh. At which point we have to say that we have conceded some harsh penalties this season, so getting one would have been overdue.
Strange business this footy lark. Three draws. Overall a bit meh, but the one last night showed us something in the performance that we have been wanting to see for a long time, even if we were short up top and thus a little bit toothless.
For me the best thing about it was the way we bounced back after such a backs against the wall first 25 mins. We were a distant second best through the whole of the first half, but the first 25 mins was really bad. It wasnāt just a tactical thing but was largely the result of us not being able to keep the ball for more than 2 passes. It was said at half time that weather a storm like that could be a good platform to build on, but given the way the season has gone it was not something I expected to play out. But I guess we remembered why we are champions.
I donāt see any difference between that one and a few marginal ābarely a touchā ones weāve had give against us. The one Van Dijk gives away against Brentford comes to mind.
Back under Arsene Wenger I almost had a little soft spot for Arsenal. He added professionalism for the day, and built a couple of exciting sides stocked with great players. Donāt get me wrong, I was Liverpool through and through, and I still remember Robbie Fowlerās quick-fire hat-trick against them. Get in!
Still, Arsenal at the time, for me, were worthy of praise.
Fast forward to now. Ugh. So cynical, from top to bottom. Imagine how much they are disliked when I would prefer Man City to win the league? Man City are cheats and everything they have done, for years, is on the back of their cheating and should all be disqualified.
But Iām now at the point where one more Man City title, added to a slew of illegitimate baubles, is preferable to Arsenal being rewarded with the Premier League, especially in light of the way Arsenal go about their business.
The hope is they finish second, again, and then next season we are back at it to put them in their place properly, again.
I actually believe Martinelli when he says that he didnāt realize that Bradley was seriously injured. It takes a special type of evil to see someone suffer a serious injury and then put your hands on them, and I just cannot believe that he would stoop that low. Like Slot alluded to, I think he thought Conor was time wasting and he was frustrated.
But I also think that he should have seen red and he should be suspended. Just because he didnāt have terrible intent doesnāt mean that his actions are excusable. It is never appropriate for a player to put their hands on an injured opponent, even if they suspect that the injury is exaggerated, simply because theyāre not medical professionals and moving an injured player can exacerbate their injuries.
If Conor is seriously injured - and I suspected he at least sprained a ligament when he twisted awkwardly after that kick - we have to go get Guehi. No waiting until the summer. The time is now.
