The Manchester City striker spoke out and revealed why Gabriel didn’t get a red card during the Premier League title race.
Erling Haaland has been praised by fans after he said he chose not to try to get Gabriel sent off during Manchester City’s game against Arsenal.
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On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal suffered what could be their most damaging result of the season, losing 2-1 to Premier League title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.
The result leaves Pep Guardiola’s side just three points behind the league leaders – with one game to spare against Burnley, which will be played on Wednesday 22 April.
City’s Rayan Cherki and Haaland scored for the home side, while Kai Havertz netted a bumbling goal to make the score 1-1 in the first half.
But the most controversial moment of the match was perhaps not one of the goals, but rather the heated confrontation with Arsenal defender Gabriel during the match.
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The duo, who have been at each other’s throats several times in their careers, were spotted in a heated conversation before Gabriel moved his head aggressively towards the City striker. Many thought he should have been sent off.
After the game, however, Haaland admitted that he chose not to lie down on the grass and overdo the contact – despite the fact that it would most likely have resulted in a red card for Gabriel.
To Viaplay, he said:
“The referee said it was both. If I had gone to the ground, it would have been a red card. It’s not football.
When Peter Schmeichel asked Haaland if he had done anything to provoke Gabriel, and asked him to explain the situation, the City striker replied:
“No, I didn’t. I will never do that. Okay, maybe sometimes…
“No, I didn’t do anything. Ultimately, let’s be honest: he’s a fantastic player, and it’s always a nice game.
“But I sometimes think that in the Premier League it might be a bit too much.
Fans praise Haaland
After watching the interview, one fan wrote on social media:
“Imagine dominating them and still talking him up at the same time. What a man Haaland is. Pure class.”
Another claimed:
“This is why City are going to win a championship and Arsenal won’t. City players love the game and play it the right way.”
Premier League Match Centre issues official statement on why Gabriel didn’t get red card
After the game, many fans and experts expressed anger online over the decision not to send Gabriel out for the incident. Several drew parallels to similar incidents in other matches.
Many believed that Gabriel clearly tried to headbutt his opponent after the skirmish in front of Haaland’s goal earlier in the game – which would of course have led to a direct red card for violent behaviour.
However, the Premier League Match Centre later issued a statement confirming that VAR did not see grounds for a red card. Gabriel’s head movement was not considered dangerous or violent, and therefore he was allowed to stay on the field.
The statement read:
“The referee’s decision not to red card was checked and confirmed by VAR – as Gabriel’s action was not considered to be excessively aggressive or violent.”
