"You know the ref has an agenda against you", "This is corruption" - Arsenal fans in unison as Leandro Trossard is sent off against Manchester City
Arsenal fans are unhappy about referee Michael Oliver's decision to send Leandro Trossard off in their ongoing match against Manchester City on September 22. The forward was notably sent off on the cusp of the half-time whistle to the dismay of the fans, who aired their displeasure and anger on social media.
Manchester City scored the first goal of the game through Erling Haaland in the ninth minute. He has now equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 100 goals in 105 games for a club. The Norwegian superstar burst in between his markers to run onto a pass from Savinho, before poking the ball into the near post.
Arsenal were quick to respond through Riccardo Calafiori (22'), who scored a worldie on his first start for the club from just outside the area. Their set-piece training soon came in handy, as Gabriel Magalhaes scored from a well-taken corner routine in injury time of the first half.
However, with only a little bit of injury time left in the first half, Leandro Trossard fouled Bernardo Silva during an aerial duel. The referee blew his whistle for the foul and the forward kicked the ball away. It led to Michael Oliver brandishing a second yellow card for Trossard, sending him off.
Fans did not take to this lightly, as they reacted on social media:
"You know the ref has an agenda against you lot but you always give them a reason to book you. Embarrassing," one fan argued.
"This is corruption. This is insane," another fan complained.
"Absolutely r*tarded refereeing. Week in week out." a third said.
"Of course, we’re playing against 12 men." a fan claimed.
"Can we get a game where the ref doesn’t want to be the star of the show????" a fan was not happy.
"This can be true. This is scam. It can't red card." another added.
"This is just plain corrupt! Period!" another cried.
Arsenal fail to hold onto a win with a tough second half battle against Manchester City
Arsenal were leading in the first half when Leandro Trossard got sent off. They came back into the second half with a massive plan to hold Manchester City down. They did hold them down for many long minutes too.
In that second half, the Cityzens had 88% of the possession and had to take 28 shots at goal, with just nine on target. Gunners goalkeeper David Raya was a rock at the back as he held off their hosts for vast swaths of the game.
Arsenal could barely do anything but defend in the match, taking only one shot, and making only 31 accurate passes in the second half. It took a 90+8' minute goal from John Stones to eventually secure the all-important equalizer for Manchester City and take the win out of the Gunners' grasp.