ARSENAL

🔥🏟️Jurrien Timber narrowly escaped becoming the second Arsenal player in consecutive games to be sent off during a heated North London Derby against Tottenham. The Dutch defender found himself at the center of controversy after a hard challenge on Spurs’ Pedro Porro in the first half of the Premier League clash.Timber’s tackle on Porro, a forceful challenge that seemed to catch the Tottenham player, sparked an immediate reaction from the Spurs players. The incident led to a physical confrontation between the two teams, with plenty of pushing and shoving. Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham’s goalkeeper, was booked for his role in escalating the scuffle, and Timber received a yellow card for the foul.The challenge prompted VAR to review whether Timber’s yellow card should be upgraded to a red, but the decision remained with referee Jarred Gillett, who deemed the challenge reckless but not serious enough for a sending-off.Gary Neville, commentating for Sky Sports, weighed in on the decision, explaining that Timber was saved from a red card because, although his foot went over the ball, he didn’t follow through aggressively. Neville noted that while Timber’s foot did land on the ball, the lack of a follow-through distinguished it from a more dangerous challenge, referencing a similar incident the previous season involving Liverpool’s Curtis Jones, who was sent off for a comparable tackle.The Premier League Match Centre later confirmed on social media that VAR had reviewed the challenge and upheld the referee’s decision, ruling that Timber’s tackle was reckless but did not constitute serious foul play.Dean Ashton, speaking on talkSPORT, agreed with the decision, acknowledging that while Timber did catch Porro slightly, it wasn’t enough to warrant a red card. He emphasized that Timber’s foot placement on the ball played a key role in determining the outcome.Despite this, football pundit Henry Winter questioned Timber’s technique, wondering why he felt the need to raise his foot so high over the ball. This echoed concerns that Timber’s challenge could easily have crossed the line into a red card offense.The incident drew comparisons to a previous clash in September 2023, when Liverpool’s Curtis Jones was sent off for a similar challenge against Spurs’ Yves Bissouma. In that case, the referee was advised to review the foul, and after watching the replay, upgraded the yellow card to red. Liverpool’s appeal to overturn the decision was unsuccessful.Before the season’s early international break, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was also controversially sent off during a match against Brighton, having received two yellow cards. Tottenham fans were left frustrated that Timber did not receive similar treatment after committing two fouls in the game, including the challenge on Porro and a later incident where he grabbed Vicario’s shirt, for which the Spurs goalkeeper was booked.This intense match was yet another example of the fine line between aggressive play and serious foul play in football, leaving fans, pundits, and players alike debating the decisions long after the final whistle.

Published

12 months ago

on

September 17, 2024

By

Destiny Omodion