REVEALED: What Leandro Trossard told Arsenal team-mates after being sent off in 2-2 draw with Man City
- Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard was sent off just before half-time against Man City
- His second yellow card was for kicking the ball away and delaying a restart
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all about to begin!available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Leandro Trossard reportedly gave his Arsenal teammates an explanation in the dressing room after being sent off against Manchester City on Sunday.
The title rivals played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola’s men securing a point deep into injury time through John Stones.
Erling Haaland gave the champions an early lead, but the Gunners scored back through goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes in a thrilling first half.
And there was more action when Leandro Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away in the closing minutes.
The Belgian committed a foul on Bernardo Silva in the eighth minute of injury time in the first half, after which he cleared the ball.
Leandro Trossard was sent off during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City
The Belgian striker told his teammates and the referee that he had not heard the whistle
Referee Michael Oliver had already blown the whistle for the foul and was convinced that Trossard was deliberately trying to delay the restart. During the pre-season briefings, the referee had been told to take strict action.
However, The Mirror report that Trossard told his teammates he never heard Oliver’s whistle and that he also told the official as much during his protests.
The incident came just weeks after Declan Rice was shown a highly controversial red card against Brighton for the same offence.
And Sky Sports analysts Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville agreed that Trossard knew what he was doing.
Carragher said: ‘There’s no doubt he heard the whistle but it comes so soon after the whistle that it means he can get away with it. But he knows what he’s doing.’
Mikel Arteta put his arm around his player as he walked off the pitch and down the tunnel
Neville added: ‘The reason he (Oliver) knows he’s heard the whistle is because he’s half pulled out to kick it away. He’s not going all the way through.’
Carragher continued: ‘What is he doing? The position his team are in, and how crucial these games are when you look at the points totals at the end of the season. It’s a ridiculous thing to do.’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was visibly furious at the decision to sack Trossard.
However, he took his frustration out on the officials rather than his player, and he and his coaching staff embraced Trossard after he left the field.
