GABRIEL should have been sent off for headbutting Erling Haaland, a Premier League panel has ruled.
Referee Anthony Taylor only showed Arsenal defender Gabriel a yellow card after the fiery altercation with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland during the two teams’ vital Premier League title clash on April 19.
Gabriel escaped a red card after headbutting Erling Haaland at the Etihad Credit: Getty
Taylor decided that Gabriel’s head movement was “not excessively aggressive or violent”.
And it was hard for VAR John Brooks to go against him given that Taylor had a close-quarters view of the coming together.
But the Prem’s key match incidents panel has now concluded – by a vote of three to two – that Taylor was too lenient.
The panel ruled that Gabriel’s “extra head movement forward” constituted violent conduct.
The two panellists who disagreed argued that there was “little force or initial backwards movement” from the Brazilian.
Four of the five panel members voted that VAR was correct not to intervene.
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