Former Manchester United and England forward, Wayne Rooney, has criticised Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães for escaping a red card during the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
Arsenal fell behind early when Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead, but the visitors’ advantage could have been short-lived after an incident involving Gabriel and Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
Just four minutes after Rogers’ opener, Gabriel’s left foot made contact with Martínez’s head as the goalkeeper gathered a low free-kick from Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard.
Martínez immediately went down and received treatment, while Chelsea players protested for disciplinary action. However, the incident was not referred to the referee for an on-field VAR review.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Rooney said Gabriel was fortunate to remain on the pitch.
“Martínez has got the ball, and he [Gabriel] boots him on the head.
“He’s got the ball in two hands, way over the top of the ball, and he boots him in the head, so I think he’s extremely lucky to stay on the pitch.”
Rooney’s assessment was supported by his former Manchester United teammate Ashley Young, who also questioned why VAR did not intervene.
“I’m exactly the same way. When the ball is on the floor, and Martínez has got it in his hands, Gabriel kicks so high,” he said.
Young added, “I’m not sure why it’s not gone to VAR and they’ve looked at it properly, studied it, because he’s nowhere near the ball — I think he’s got away with one there.”
Chelsea players João Pedro and Reece James were among those who confronted the officials over the incident, but the match continued without any further action against Gabriel.
Arsenal recovered from the setback to turn the game around. Kai Havertz restored parity before Ødegaard completed the comeback in the second half.
The victory gave Mikel Arteta’s side a perfect start to the season, with Arsenal recording three wins from their opening three Premier League matches.
