@Cazza, I don't doubt there is contact i'm just not sure there is enough to warrant a penalty. Not all contact is a foul. But you def see them given.
Weird game that City Arsenal one. I only saw chunks of the first half and all the second. Some goal by yer unpronounceable Italian. No idea what City were doing for Gabriel's header. It looked very soft. Seen a picture of twitter that makes it look like Arsenal blocked off Edersen (which would be unlike arsenal) but the CB's should still be dealing with it. Gabriel was about 2 yards out when he scored.
Doku should 100% have been booked for kicking the ball away. Anyone who has played, or watched, enough sport knows Doku knows EXACTLY what he is doing. Michael Oliver should know too.
I didnt see Trossard's first yellow, but he can have no complaints about being sent off. The shoulder barge on its own was a borderline yellow for me. I suspect had he not already got a booking he would have picked one up there. But to follow that up with a blatant booting away of the ball right in front of the ref is criminally stupid. If I was an Arsenal player I would be raging with him.
Fair ****s though, that second half was bloody impressive defensively. I didnt like the mass time wasting and the fact every single Arsenal player got cramp. Six times. That was pure Simeone/Jose. As was the flat back 5 with four holding midfielders sitting right in front.
Kinda like Newcastle when they did it an Anfield and Pool scored in stoppage time, it came back to bite Arsenal. Harsh on them.
I saw a stat that neither Haeverts nor Timber completed a single pass in 90 minutes. The first time a player (who plays 90mins) has managed that since they started keeping records in 03-04. They attempted 11 between them.
That's two professional footballers, probably on +100kpw who didnt manage to pass to a single team mate at any stage in a 90minute game. They also attempted less than one pass every ten minutes between them. I can do that! Can I have 100kpw and play for Arsenal?
There is a very strange coincidence between Michael Oliver refereeing their games and City getting the benefit of the doubt when they need it (Doku today, the non Pen for Pool in stoppage time last yr) and the other team NOT getting it when City need it (Trossard booked for something Doku had got away with, albeit Trossard's was more blatant). It's almost as if they pay him massive money to come and referee a few games a season. And this is not a new issue. It's becoming a running theme.
