Manchester City's Erling Haaland believes Arsenal's Gabriel should have been ejected from the game for attempting to headbutt him during City's 2-1 win. The incident occurred when Haaland outmaneuvered Gabriel to score the winning goal, leading to a confrontation between the two players. Gabriel leaned his head into Haaland, but both players were given yellow cards by referee Anthony Taylor.
Former referee Mike Dean suggested that Gabriel was fortunate to avoid a red card, and Haaland agrees, stating that if he had reacted differently, Gabriel would have been ejected. Haaland said, 'I think it's a red card.
I think most agree with me. If I go down like any other guy, it's a red card.' He also mentioned that his father taught him to stay on his feet and not react to such situations. Sky Sports' Gary Neville also believed that Gabriel was lucky to avoid stricter punishment, saying, 'If Gabriel scores late on, City would be absolutely furious.' The incident was reviewed by former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd, who had differing opinions on the matter.
Gallagher believed that Gabriel not being sent off was the right call, while Bothroyd thought that referee Anthony Taylor had made a mistake. Haaland's winner has brought City within three points of the league leaders, and they have 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.