Haaland Claims Gabriel Should Have Received Red Card

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 victory. The incident occurred when Haaland outmuscled Gabriel to score the winning goal, and the two players then confronted each other. Although Gabriel leaned his head into Haaland, he escaped a red card and was instead given a yellow card, along with Haaland. Former referee Mike Dean suggested that Gabriel was fortunate to avoid a stricter penalty, and Haaland agrees, stating that if he had fallen to the ground, Gabriel would have likely been given a red card. 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.' Sky Sports' Gary Neville also thought Gabriel was lucky to avoid a more severe 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. Gallagher believed the decision not to give Gabriel a red card was correct, while Bothroyd thought the referee made a mistake. Haaland's goal has brought City within three points of the league leaders, and they have a game in hand. Haaland stated that he does not know if his team is in Arsenal's head but is focused on ensuring history repeats itself.