Webb suggests key refereeing error was made during Arsenal's win over Man City

10 October 2023 , 19:05

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Webb suggests key refereeing error was made during Arsenal's win over Man City

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has admitted that Michael Oliver should have sent off Mateo Kovacic during Manchester City's defeat to Arsenal.

Kovacic was shown a yellow card 29 minutes in when he lunged in on Martin Odegaard. VAR John Brooks checked the decision, before confirming that Oliver had not made a clear and obvious error by only booking him.

A matter of moments later though, Kovacic lunged in on Declan Rice with another dreadful tackle. Oliver only awarded Arsenal a free-kick, with Kovacic shown no further punishment despite already being on a yellow card.

Kovacic would go on to stay on the pitch until he was substituted off 22 minutes from time. But Webb has now admitted that had Oliver shown him a red card for the first tackle, Brooks would have had no problem in confirming that decision.

"We want to be as consistent as we can be, dealing with the same situations in the same way each week. This is a poor tackle and I am confident if a red card had been given, it would be a straightforward 'check complete'," Webb told the Match Officials Mic'd Up show.

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"The VAR felt the on-field decision of yellow card was not obviously incorrect and feeling if they intervened it would have been re-refereeing."

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Mateo Kovacic have been sent off? Comment below.

Howard Webb admitted Mateo Kovacic was lucky to stay on the pitch following this tackle on Declan Rice (Getty Images)

Former Liverpool star Michael Owen then questioned Webb on the decision to let Kovacic stay on the pitch. The PGMOL chief conceded that Oliver had made an error in not showing Kovacic a second yellow card, though insisted that VAR was right to not get involved in the incident.

"I do," he said when asked if Kovacic was lucky to stay on the pitch. "Obviously VAR can't get involved for second yellows. I think he was extremely fortunate to stay on. Michael Oliver is one of our best referees and one of the best in the world and he will no doubt review that.

"He doesn't want to have a negative impact on the game by overreacting to something. Sometimes players will be on a yellow card and there will be pressure to show another one. But it is also true about underreacting.

"I think when he reflects on it, he will realise the second one should have been a second yellow and Kovacic should have been sent off. The first decision was borderline and Kovacic had the benefit of that."

Fortunately for Oliver, his decision to not show a second yellow card did not have a sizeable impact on the game. Instead, Arsenal went on to claim a statement win thanks to Gabriel Martinelli's late goal.

Jacob Leeks