Whilst Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford was a slightly forgettable encounter, there was one controversial moment in the first half when Christian Norgaard brought down Gabriel Martinelli.
With the game poised at 0-0 in the 28th minute of the first half, Brentford’s captain decided to bring down the Arsenal winger who was sprinting away on the counter.
Perhaps Norgaard anticipated a straightforward ‘professional foul’, however, the Denmark international was very late and missed the ball by some margin – a painful moment for Martinelli.
Referee Simon Hooper immediately decided that a yellow card was sufficient, a decision that VAR also didn’t feel the need to change.
But that didn’t stop the likes of Declan Rice from immediately surrounding Hooper, perhaps stressing that a yellow card wasn’t enough.
After the game Martinelli claimed that Norgaard could have seriously injured him, a tackle that Mikel Arteta also thought deserved to be a red card.
Mark Clattenberg gives his Christian Norgaard red card verdict
That being said, TBR Football exclusively spoke to former Premier League referee Mark Clattenberg who actually agreed with Hooper’s on-field decision.
Clattenberg admitted that Norgaard’s tackle was ‘reckless’, but he didn’t believe that the Brentford captain used any ‘force and malice’ which would be needed for a red card.
Responding to calls for a red card, Clattenberg told TBR: “This is why I have fallen out of love with football. Norgaard’s tackle on Martinelli is a reckless challenge, he lunges for the ball and just misses it and catches his opponent on the leg.
“If we discuss a red card, then the player needs to use force and malice and neither of this tackle meets this criteria.
“Also, at no point does this tackle endanger the safety of his opponent.”
READ MORE: Gary Neville makes controversial claim about Arsenal’s season after watching them vs Brentford
Granit Xhaka was sent off for a professional foul at Arsenal
Of course, Norgaard’s tackle will inevitably be compared to some of the red cards Arsenal have received in recent years in slightly similar circumstances.
And some Arsenal fans might remember that former Gunner Granit Xhaka received a straight red for bringing down Swansea City’s Modou Barrow back in 2016 at the Emirates Stadium.
Barrow was running down Arsenal’s left and Xhaka deliberately clipped the Swansea winger from behind to stop the counter.
Asked to compare the new two incidents, Clattenberg said there was a clear difference between Xhaka’s foul and Norgaard’s on Saturday.
Clattenberg said: “Big difference. One is trying to play the ball, Xhaka makes no attempt [to do so].”
Either way, Arsenal will now turn their full focus to Wednesday’s trip to Santiago Bernabeu, a crucial second leg against the Champions League’s holders.
