"The instigator should be the one that gets booked" - Gary Neville calls for PL rule to be scrapped after incident in Arsenal-Newcastle clash
Manchester United legend Gary Neville called for a Premier League rule to be changed after an incident during Newcastle United's clash against Arsenal on May 7. The Gunners won the game 2-0 courtesy of a goal from Martin Odegaard and an own goal from Fabian Schar.
Eddie Nketiah and Schar had a heated moment during the dying stages of the game. With his team 2-0 up, Nketiah took the ball to the corner flag to make the clock tick and was bundled over by Schar and Kieran Trippier.
The striker took offense to Shcar's involvement and the central defender pushed him. As the situation heated up, both players were booked. Neville, on commentary duty for Sky Sports, claimed that one certain Premier League rule should be changed. He said (via Metro):
“I have a theory on these ones. If Schar pushes Nketiah which he does, he should get booked and Nketiah shouldn’t. If someone pushes you, you’re entitled to push them back. The instigator should be the one that gets booked.”
Arsenal, meanwhile, managed to keep the pressure on league leaders Manchester City with the win. They have 81 points from 35 games and trail the Cityzens by a point, having played one game more than them.
Mikel Arteta's side will return to action on May 14 as they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in a Premier League home clash.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke about the win against Newcastle
Arsenal secured a big win against Newcastle at St. James' Park on Sunday but it wasn't an easy task by any means. Considering Eddie Howe's team's recent form and the passionate crown at St. James' Park, the Gunners had to fight for the points.
Mikel Arteta was visibly happy with their performance. Speaking to the media after the match, the Spaniard expressed his delight. Arteta said (via the Gunners' website):
“It meant a lot. It was a real test, they hurt our pride last year and in sport, when you have another opportunity you have to make sure you learn from it. We had to remember how we felt a year ago when we were here. Today had to be different. We had to play the game with a different level of implication, intelligence and maturity, and we showed a real fight today and a desire to win."
Arsenal became the second team to hand Newcastle a Premier League defeat at St. James' Park this season after Liverpool. The Magpies are third in the league with 65 points from 34 games.