Since Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal manager in December 2019, the Gunners have received more than their fair share of red cards.
While many may have been just, there have been a fair few that have been no doubt controversial, whether you look at them through the angry eyes of a begrudged Arsenal fan or a neutral.
Here, we’ve broken down the most controversial of the bunch, starting way back in 2020.
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1 ByStephan GeorgiouOct 2, 2024 9 Eddie Nketiah v Leicester, 2019/20 Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Eddie Nketiah was shown a red card following a video assistant referee (VAR) review during Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Leicester City back in July 2020.
The Englishman went in hard on a 50/50 challenge with Foxes defender James Justin, leading dangerously with his studs showing and connecting with Justin just below the knee.
Emiliano Martinez, Arsenal’s keeper at the time, called the decision “harsh” because he felt Nketiah had slipped, and the Gunners even tried to appeal the decision. Perhaps expectedly, they failed.
8 Gabriel v Man City, 2021/22 Referee: Stuart Attwell
Gabriel was sent off for a second bookable offence as Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on New Year’s Day in 2022.
His first booking was awarded for scuffing up the penalty spot after Granit Xhaka committed a clumsy challenge on Bernardo Silva in the box.
Not long after, Gabriel got his second yellow for dragging down his now-teammate Gabriel Jesus as he received the ball on his chest and turned into the Gunners’ half. It was certainly on the soft side, and on another day with a different referee, he may well have escaped a second caution.
Gabriel later said on social media that the red card and defeat were “hard to accept”.
7 Gabriel v Southampton, 2020/21 Referee: Paul Tierney
A year prior to being sent off against Manchester City, Gabriel was shown red in almost the exact same circumstances. While already on a yellow, the Brazilian defender brought down Theo Walcott near the halfway line after being turned by the Southampton forward.
Clearly aggrieved, the sending-off led Mikel Arteta to point out after the game that there were similar incidents throughout the match that went unpunished.
“There were many incidents before that where the referee didn’t give any yellow cards – for blocking free-kicks, for kicking the ball out and we got it,” the Arsenal head coach said. “So at the end, you have to be a little bit stable on that and understand the game and the tension about it. After that, we got the decision and we had to fight back.”
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ByRoss KilvingtonJan 7, 2025 6 Takehiro Tomiyasu v Crystal Palace, 2023/24 Referee: David Coote
Last season, defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was shown his marching orders by David Coote in a game against Crystal Palace after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession.
The Japan international was first cautioned for apparently time-wasting during a throw-in, with Coote showing him a second yellow just minutes later after the lightest of tugs on Jordan Ayew’s shirt halted a Crystal Palace counter-attack.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was among those to think Tomiyasu was hard done by. “I don’t think Tomiyasu’s actually trying to waste time. I think he’s actually looking for a throw-in, to get it in quickly. He actually ran to pick up the ball. He wasn’t slow. I can understand the referee. But he’s almost took one for the team.”
5 David Luiz v Wolves, 2020/21 Referee: Craig Pawson
David Luiz was never far from controversy during his time in the Premier League, and that was certainly true when Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Wolves in February 2021.
Luiz was sent off for the third time in his Gunners career after being adjudged to have committed a last-man foul in first-half stoppage-time on Wolves striker Willian Jose. Though the contact appeared minimal, the decision was upheld by the VAR.
If anything, it appeared the striker had kicked the Brazilian as he swung to shoot, with Arteta branding the decision, which Arsenal unsuccessfully appealed, as “unfair”.
“I’ve seen it 10 times in different angles and I cannot tell you where the contact is,” he said after the game. “If they have another 50 different angles to watch it, maybe I will be surprised. I looked at seven different angles and I cannot see any contact there.”
4 Gabriel Martinelli v Wolves, 2021/22 Referee: Michael Oliver
Another day, another red card against Wolves, but this time it was for Luiz’s compatriot, Gabriel Martinelli, who was handed one of the most bizarre red cards in Premier League history in February 2022.
The Brazilian winger was sent for an early bath after picking up two yellows in the same phase of play – first for pushing Daniel Podence as he took a throw and then for chasing up the field and fouling Chiquinho as he ran towards goal with the ball. Referee Michael Oliver had waved advantage for Martinelli’s first offence.
A rule change in 2020 by the IFAB seems to indicate that Martinelli should not have seen red.
“If the referee plays ADVANTAGE for an offence which ‘interfered with or stopped a promising attack’, the caution (yellow card, YC) is NOT issued,” the IFAB tweeted in 2020.
3 Declan Rice v Brighton, 2024/25 Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Declan Rice received his marching orders during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton in August 2024 after picking up a second yellow card for poking the ball away from Joel Veltman as the Brighton defender prepared to take a free kick.
While by the letter of the law, the decision could be seen correct, it incensed many Arsenal fans, and has continued to do so because other similar incidents have since gone unpunished.
There is also the fact that Veltman – faintly praised by former official Mike Dean for his “clever” play – had attempted to take a quick free-kick while proceeding to boot Rice from behind, to no punishment whatsoever.
In what will have done little to quell the Gunners’ anger, referee Chris Kavanagh said he “didn’t like” the decision, but felt he “had no choice” but to send the midfielder off.
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ByBarney LaneJan 9, 2025 2 Leandro Trossard v Man City, 2024/25 Referee: Michael Oliver
Just weeks after Declan Rice’s red card against Brighton, Leandro Trossard found himself in a similar situation, earning a second yellow for delaying the restart after a foul.
With Arsenal leading 2-1 against champions Manchester City just before half-time, Trossard barged into Bernardo Silva, sending the Portuguese midfielder tumbling to the ground and resulting in referee Michael Oliver awarding a free-kick to the home side.
After Oliver had blown his whistle, Trossard then appeared to kick the ball away, and the official sent him off.
Trossard and the rest of the Arsenal players protested his innocence, and it certainly seemed harsh given the mere split-second there was between Oliver’s whistle and the Belgian winger hoofing the ball away.
Not only will this have enraged Gunners fans once again, particularly in a big game, but given Silva was prone on the floor and arguably unable to restart play, it could be debated as to whether Trossard delayed proceedings at all.
However, a Key Match Incidents panel said Oliver made the right call.
1 Myles Lewis-Skelly v Wolves, 2024/25 Referee: Michael Oliver
Reuters
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In Arsenal’s most recent red card controversy, defender Myles Lewis-Skelly was dismissed for “serious foul play” just before half-time after tripping Wolves defender Matt Doherty near the edge of the Wolves box. The incident occurred as Doherty looked to launch a counter-attack following an Arsenal corner.
The Premier League website defines serious foul play as occurring when “any player lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, side, or behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or in a manner that endangers the safety of an opponent.”
According to the site, if the contact is deemed “forceful” and occurs on the ankle or higher, it warrants a red card.
While Lewis-Skelly’s tackle did make contact with the ankle, referee Michael Oliver’s decision to deem it forceful appeared extremely harsh. Fans, pundits, players, and even managers – Arteta included – were nearly unanimous in criticising the decision.
“I am absolutely fuming, but I leave it with you,” Arteta said to Sky Sports. “Because it is that obvious, I don’t think my words are going to help.”
Former Manchester City and England star Micah Richards called it the “worst decision I’ve ever seen in Premier League football history”.
“How on earth they can go to VAR, look at a screen, look at it multiple times [and] not even a split second to look at it but ten seconds, 20 seconds, multiple different angles and they still think that is a red card…” Richards said when reflecting on the incident on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“I don’t like using the word ‘disgrace’ because I feel like it’s easy to throw that word out. But if you look at the magnitude of that decision, it was so poor, and for them to double down on the decision, I just think it’s shocking,” only the PGMOL seems to disagree.
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