Haaland Claims Gabriel Should Have Been Sent Off

Erling Haaland, Manchester City's star striker, believes Arsenal's defender Gabriel should have been given a red card for his attempted headbutt during City's 2-1 win over the Gunners. The incident occurred when Haaland outmuscled Gabriel to score the winning goal, leading to a confrontation between the two. Gabriel leaned his head into Haaland but escaped a sending-off, with both players receiving yellow cards from referee Anthony Taylor. Former official Mike Dean suggested that Gabriel was fortunate not to have been sent off, and Haaland agrees, stating that if he had reacted differently, the outcome might have been different. "I think it's a red card," Haaland said. "Most people agree with me. If I go down like anyone else, it's a red card. It's not something I would do. My father taught me to stay on my feet." Haaland's comments were echoed by Sky Sports' Gary Neville, who said that Gabriel was lucky to avoid stricter punishment. The incident was reviewed by former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd, who had differing opinions on the matter. Gallagher believed that the decision not to send Gabriel off was correct, while Bothroyd thought that referee Anthony Taylor had made a mistake. Haaland's winner has brought City within three points of the league leaders, with a game in hand. A win against Burnley on Wednesday would see them return to the top of the table for the first time since August.