Manchester City striker Erling Haaland admitted he could have got Gabriel Magalhaes sent off for pushing his head towards him, which means the Arsenal centre-back will be available for the Premier League run-in after he avoided a red card in the title showdown.
Haaland and Gabriel were involved in a long-running battle at the Etihad but tensions spilled over in the 83rd minute. It was sparked when Haaland gave Gabriel a push from the side after he had been fouled from behind by the Arsenal defender.
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Gabriel reacted by putting his head towards Haaland’s and they stood for a moment with their foreheads touching. But Gabriel then made a another movement and pushed his head towards Haaland’s for a second time.
Haaland did not respond, as team-mates from both sides then broke them up. Anthony Taylor then showed both Haaland and Gabriel a yellow card for their involvement in the altercation, while the incident was checked by VAR.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Haaland said: “If I fell on the floor there, which I will not do unless someone really attacks me, then it would be red card. I’m not sure, I haven’t seen the situation. It is what it is, I will not fall on the floor. For me I don’t know why he comes up to my face.”
What did the VAR say?
Referee John Brooks was the VAR. He decided that Gabriel’s contact towards Haaland’s head was not “deemed not to be excessively aggressive or violent”. He agreed with Taylor’s on-field assessment. Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, received his seventh booking of the season protesting the lack of punishment. Guardiola could be seen acting out a ‘headbutt’ on the touchline.
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It may raise some eyebrows, however, that Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez was sent off for pulling Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Monday, while Gabriel avoided harsher punishment. Gabriel also avoided an earlier yellow card after ripping Haaland’s undershirt in an earlier grapple.
Could Gabriel be sanctioned?
As referee Taylor saw the incident, and it wasn’t missed by VAR, it means Gabriel will be available for Arsenal’s next three games. Arsenal will host Newcastle and Fulham before going to West Ham in their next three Premier League fixtures, with just five games of the season remaining.
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What did Erling Haaland say?
The striker told Sky Sports: “If I fell on the floor there, which I will not do unless someone really attacks me, then it would maybe be red card. I’m not sure, I haven’t seen the situation. It is what it is, I will not fall on the floor. For me I don’t know why he comes up to my face.”
Haaland was also praised by Manchester City captain Bernando Silva, who called the striker an “animal” for how he competed against Gabriel and William Saliba.
“Erling was fantastic today, fighting for every ball,” Silva told Sky Sports. “It’s not easy with two centre-backs that strong. Apart from the goal that he always scores, today he fought like an animal.”
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