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Should Matteo Kovacic have seen a red card against Arsenal? A former Premier League referee believes he should have seen two
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has weighed in on the decision not to send off Matteo Kovacic during Manchester City’s loss against Arsenal.
Kovacic escapes red card against Arsenal
Manchester City lost their second Premier League game in a row to Arsenal in a 1-0 reverse, but things could have been much worse if Kovacic had been sent off for one of two reprehensible fouls in the first half.
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The Croatian midfielder could have received his marching orders for a rash challenge on Martin Odegaard midway through the first half, but referee Michael Oliver only produced a yellow card.
Kovacic incredibly produced a similar foul on Declan Rice mere minutes after the first incident, and while many inside the Emirates Stadium expected at least a second yellow card for Kovacic, Oliver looked the other way, deciding not to send the Manchester City midfielder off for a second time.
Clattenburg puts refereeing decision down to luck
After reviewing the footage from the incident, Clattenburg revealed that he believed Kovacic was very lucky not to see red on either occasion.
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In his column for the Daily Mail, the former Premier League official noted, “Mateo Kovacic is a very lucky boy and so is referee Michael Oliver, given Arsenal went on to win regardless of Manchester City keeping all 11 men on the pitch.
“Kovacic could have been dismissed not once, but twice. His first yellow could have been upgraded to red if VAR John Brooks had told Oliver to take a second look at his nasty tackle from behind on Martin Odegaard.
“But when Kovacic then caught Declan Rice late on the ankle, the City midfielder could easily have been shown a second yellow.
Clattenburg also noted that the only reason the decision was not getting more attention was that Arsenal won, otherwise, Oliver would have found himself in the middle of a circus, especially with the international break in tow.
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