Arsenal did the job at home against Bournemouth and secured three new points in the battle for the league title in the Premier League.
Martin Ødegaard’s club thus puts pressure on Manchester City. The London team currently tops the table, four points ahead of the light blues from Manchester, but the latter team has played two fewer games than Mikel Arteta’s boys.
It was Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice who scored the goals in Saturday’s win at home to the Emirates.
Saka’s scoring came in the first half, after Kai Havertz had earned a controversial penalty.
Just before the break, the German was played through by Ødegaard and in a duel with goalkeeper Mark Travers he fell to the ground.
Fjørtoft: – Completely unnatural
However, the replay showed that there was little contact and the Viaplay duo Roar Stokke and Lars Tjærnås were in doubt as to whether it was a penalty kick.
After a check with VAR, referee David Coote still pointed to the chalk mark. Saka made no mistake from eleven meters.
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In the break studio, however, expert Jan Åge Fjørtoft strongly disagreed with the decision.
– Havertz deliberately goes for penalties. It is completely unnatural to have your foot there. This goes against what I believe the judges should do in this situation. Havertz provokes the penalty kick, believes the former national team striker.
– There the referee and VAR are deceived. It’s completely wrong, says the same man after the match.
Viaplay colleague Petter Veland also agreed that it was a so-called “soft” penalty kick.
Football commentator Kasper Wikestad wrote the following on X/Twitter about the situation:
– Did they let that punishment stand? It’s actually unbelievable.
Did they let that penalty stand? It’s actually unbelievable
— Kasper Wikestad (@KasperWikestad) May 4, 2024
Race against cancellation: – Cheap
In the 70th minute, Belgian Leandro Trossard made it 2-0 for the hosts after a brilliant foreplay by Declan Rice.
The Englishman found his team-mate on the left after turning free and Trossard slotted in Arsenal’s second goal.
Soon after, the visitors from Bournemouth also had a ball in the net, but it was canceled because the referee thought it was a foul against goalkeeper David Raya before Antoine Semenyo put the ball into the back of the net.
The replay showed that Dominic Solanke narrowly missed the goalkeeper, but the experts believed that a free kick should not have been given.
– I think it is cheap, says expert commentator Lars Tjærnås about the cancellation.
In the studio, both Fjørtoft and Veland were surprised that referee Coote chose to give the goalkeeper a free kick.
– It’s fine that the goalkeepers are sacred cows, but for God’s sake there must be limits. It is shocking, says Fjørtoft.
There was also an annulment when centre-back Gabriel hammered the ball into the goal from an acute angle in the 85th minute.
In extra time, Declan Rice showed his qualities when he superbly made it 3-0 on his own. It was the nail in the coffin for the visitors.
As early as Saturday evening, gold rivals Manchester City will be in action at home against Wolves (6.30pm).