Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg has insisted that referees need to stop hogging the headlines following another controversial Michael Oliver performance in the Gunners 2-2 draw at the Etihad.
The north London club were forced to play with ten players in the second half against Manchester City after Leandro Trossard was sent off for a second yellow card at the stroke of half-time.
Arsenal had just taken a 2-1 lead and the Belgian was booked for the second time after he kicked the ball away following committing a foul on a Manchester City player.
While some feel Arsenal need to get a hold of their disciplinary problems, the Gunners fans are insistent that their players are being judged more harshly than others.
It was a pulsating top-of-the-table Premier League clash but the aftermath of the game has all been about Oliver’s performance as the referee in the thick of things.
An Arsenal legend is tired of referees grabbing headlines
Ljungberg is livid that Oliver’s performance as the referee in the game has again led to him grabbing the headlines when the football should have been the talk of the town.
He insisted that referees need to stop being the centre of attention and let the game flow rather than take controversial calls that eventually lead to heated debates.
“I have had enough”, the former Gunner said on TV2.
“I don’t want the referees to get the headlines. Let the football be played.”
Michael Oliver has been accused of ruining the game
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has also not been happy with the way the spectacle was affected by Oliver’s decision to send off Trossard.
He stressed that the referee’s decision did a lot to absolutely ruin a game that could have been so much more in the second half if Arsenal had eleven men on the pitch.
“Michael Oliver has done a lot to ruin this match”, the former goalkeeper said on Viaplay.
