Granit Xhaka was NOT a happy man after seeing the replay of the penalty he conceded during Arsenal vs Manchester City this afternoon.
Arsenal were leading the contest through Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal but presented Manchester City with a golden opportunity to draw level from the penalty spot after Granit Xhaka brought down Bernardo Silva.
Xhaka appeared to stick out his leg and block Silva’s path, but it was soft, with the Portugal international inviting the contact and going to ground rather easily. Needless to say, the Gunners were not happy it was given.
After the VAR decision was shown on the big screen at the Emirates, not only was it met with a chorus of boos from the home fans, but Xhaka immediately ran over and berated the referee for what he clearly felt was a mistake.
Granit Xhaka was not happy after watching the replay of his challenge on Bernardo Silva… 👀
Penalty given. Penalty scored to make it 1-1. pic.twitter.com/7dyG4pRR8D
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 1, 2022
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This is the danger of showing the decisions on the big screen. Of course, it’s necessary for the benefit of the match going fans, but it risks undermining the referee when a controversial decision is made.
I this case, you can’t definitively say that a mistake was made, but it’s soft, and on another day, Xhaka would have escaped without punishment. Unfortunately, that’s just the inconsistent nature of Premier League officiating.
