Brentford boss claims Havertz should have been sent off before Arsenal winner
Thomas Frank insisted Kai Havertz should have been sent off before he scored Arsenal ’s dramatic winner on Saturday.
The Gunners saw off Brentford 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium with Havertz heading home in the 86th minute to seal all three points. The win sees Arsenal claim top spot in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Frank hailed his side for their performance but was fuming that Havertz even had the opportunity to score in the first place. The German was booked in the first-half for an elbow on Kristoffer Ajer before then falling under Nathan Collins’ challenge in the penalty area during the second half.
Neither a spot-kick nor a penalty for diving were forthcoming from the referee - much to the displeasure of Frank.
Speaking after the game, he said: "I'm so proud of the team and the players. We've come here to Arsenal who have scored 100 goals in I don't know how many games and we limited them. It was almost a defensive masterclass.
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"The performance was spot on. Even more impressive if you take into account Arsenal's form, our form, our injury situation. I actually don't think Havertz should be on the pitch when he scored.
"It was a clear dive. Maybe it is difficult for the ref but the linesman should have seen it.
"We are in that spell where we need to fight so hard for things. You need things to go your way, especially things you can't control like refereeing decisions.
Kai Havertz falls under Nathan Collins' challenge (Getty Images)Should Kai Havertz have been sent off vs Brentford? Share your thoughts in the comments below
"I'm a big believer that you should celebrate your wins and goals. They clearly respect us and they know we are very good and it meant a lot to them. The performance we take out of this is very good. We will take all of the positives and keep on fighting. I told them it was a great performance and that I'm so proud of them.
"If you get hit in the face then stand up and keep going."
Jamie Redknapp also believed that Havertz was deserving of his first booking and labelled him "very fortunate" not to be dismissed.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “It’s a yellow card. He’s got history of doing that. He did that a few times at Chelsea, throwing his elbow at people.
“The referee is not in a great position to see this [a dive] so unless he gives the yellow card, then VAR can’t intervene anyway. He’s lucky. You can see there’s no contact at all and he’s looking to try and gain an advantage by going down. He’s very fortunate.”
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