Leandro Trossard protesting his sending off. (Image: Getty Images)
Leandro Trossard reportedly explained to his team-mates that he didn't hear the whistle before being controversially dismissed in Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
He received a second yellow card after referee Michael Oliver decided Trossard had deliberately stalled the game at Etihad Stadium. However, in the locker room, Trossard insisted he attempted to make a pass and hadn't noticed the ref's signal according to The Mirror, even explaining this to Oliver before being shown the red card.
This misunderstanding forms just part of Arsenal's broader concerns stemming from the intense matchup that some City players claim involved Arsenal engaging in 'dark arts' such as time-wasting yet, contradictorily, official data suggests Arsenal were not guilty of this tactic.
In fact, according to figures from Opta, the match time with the ball in active play amounted to 63 minutes and 29 seconds, ranking it as the fifth longest period for ball-in-play this Premier League season.
This throws into question why there were substantial periods of added time, specifically eight minutes at the close of the first half and nine in the second.
Originally, fourth official Andy Madley signaled six minutes of additional time before the match conclusion, which was subsequently increased by another minute following treatment of an Arsenal player.
The tight schedule facing Arsenal, who returned from an away match against Atalanta on Thursday morning at 4am and then took to the field against City only two days later, arguably accounts for the numerous instances of cramp seen among the players, particularly given they were a man down for most of the encounter.
Two additional minutes were added during injury time, allowing John Stones to score a last-minute equaliser. However, there is ongoing frustration over the lack of consistency in the amount of injury time added in each game.
Leandro Trossard walking off the Manchester City pitch. (Image: Getty Images)
Opta stats revealed that the ball remained in play well above the Premier League's target threshold of 60 minutes.
The longest duration the ball has stayed in play for any game this season was during West Ham's home defeat to City on August 31, clocking in at 66 mins 12 secs. PGMOL insists that added time is calculated based on injuries, substitutions and goal celebrations, deeming it fair.
Referee Oliver did not issue a yellow card to City winger Jeremy Doku who also kicked the ball away, causing a delay in a set piece. This marks the second instance this season - following Declan Rice's second yellow for the same offence - where an Arsenal player has been sent off for kicking the ball away while an opposition player has avoided punishment.
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This inconsistency is likely to be Mikel Arteta's main complaint, while Arsenal could also highlight instances of City players surrounding referee Oliver to protest decisions without facing any repercussions.
Referee Oliver has been accused of double standards for not booking Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai for kicking the ball away during their home loss to Bournemouth. It was perceived that Szoboszlai was venting his frustration rather than intentionally delaying the game's restart.
