Haaland Claims Gabriel Should Have Received a Red Card

Erling Haaland, Manchester City's star striker, has expressed his opinion that Arsenal defender Gabriel should have been given a red card for his actions during City's 2-1 victory over the Gunners. The incident in question occurred when Gabriel leaned his head into Haaland, but he escaped a sending off as both players were booked by referee Anthony Taylor. Haaland thinks that if he had reacted differently to the challenge, Gabriel would have been ejected from the game. "I think it's a red card," Haaland said in a post-match interview. "Most people agree with me. If I had gone down like any other player, it would have been a red card. It's not something I would do, my father taught me to stay on my feet." Former official Mike Dean shared Haaland's sentiment, suggesting that Gabriel was fortunate to avoid a stricter punishment. Sky Sports' Gary Neville also commented on the incident, stating that Gabriel was lucky to avoid a red card. Neville drew from his own experience, recalling a similar incident involving Steve McManaman in the Manchester derby. The incident was reviewed on Ref Watch by former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd, who had differing opinions on the matter. While Gallagher believed the decision not to send Gabriel off was correct, Bothroyd thought referee Anthony Taylor had made a mistake. Haaland's winner has put Manchester City just three points behind the league leaders with a game in hand, and a win against Burnley on Wednesday could see them return to the top of the table for the first time since August.