'The only way' - Dermot Gallagher issues verdict on three key decisions during Arsenal vs Leicester City

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has weighed in on some of the debatable decisions during Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester City. The Gunners gave up a two-goal lead during the clash, but they rallied to score two late goals through Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz, eventually winning with room to spare.

There were some controversial decisions during the game, though, with Riccardo Calafiori perhaps lucky to avoid a second yellow card for his trip of Facundo Buonanotte. That left Leicester boss Steve Cooper unhappy at full-time. “I don’t want to make the headlines around referees, because I’m trying to take responsibility for a team trying to do better in the Premier League, but it’s a clear foul on Jamie Vardy for the first goal and the left-back has to get sent off for a second yellow,” he said.

“There’s so much more we could say. The whole game knows, but I’m not going down that road today. We were very disappointed with a foul not being given on Vards for the first goal And although we don’t come into games trying to get players sent off, why he hasn’t sent off Calafiori is a little bit beyond belief. Because of the spell we’re in and the spell that I’m in personally, I’m trying to not let referees’ decisions be the headline, as I’m trying to take responsibility for a team that needs to get better results. But we feel those were two poor decisions.”

According to former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher, though, this is a point the Premier League have taken a new approach on. "Interesting, this, because this is the third incident we've seen like this this season where they've come out and said it's not breaking up a promising attack because Thomas Partey would mop the ball up,” Gallagher said on Sky Sports.

"We saw it on the opening day of the season with Wes Burns of Ipswich and with Will Hughes for Crystal Palace a few weeks ago. They have been hard, fast and consistent on this. The only way you can give him a second yellow is if the referee thinks it's a yellow card in its own right."

Goal decisions

Arsenal’s opener, scored by Gabriel Martinelli, was also criticised by some Foxes fans due to claims of a foul in the build-up, but Gallagher believes VAR remained within its scope. He explained: “The referee quite clearly says there's no foul. The game goes on and they score, but it goes on a long time. VAR, in my mind, has no right to go back and re-referee that situation. The on-field referee's call was no foul and he's so close."

On Havertz’s late goal, which was initially ruled out for offside, the former referee added: “It was decided that James Justin had gone to make a deliberate play of the ball. He's in an offside position, there's no doubt about that, and if it goes to him off his colleague, it's going to be given as offside. It was quite rightly awarded."