There has been a change in match official appointments ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester City after Saturday’s VAR controversy
The Champions League knockout stages may be upon us, but there is also a titanic Premier League showdown to look forward to as Arsenal host Manchester City on Wednesday night.
The Gunners must get back to winning ways to keep their title charge on track after dropping points in consecutive games, most recently drawing 1-1 with Brentford on Saturday. City, who have played one game more than their rivals, closed the gap at the top to three points with a convincing 3-1 victory over Aston Villa the following day to ramp up the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s men.
Much of the fallout from the weekend’s action has centred on the VAR controversy at Emirates Stadium, where Ivan Toney scored the equaliser after an offside infringement from Christian Norgaard went unnoticed by Lee Mason. Arteta’s interaction with Mason’s fellow referee Anthony Taylor also makes for an interesting talking point ahead of Wednesday’s clash between the two teams at the top of the table.
VAR repercussions
Emirates Stadium was not the only place where there was VAR controversy at the weekend; there was also a major blunder at Selhurst Park.
John Brooks failed to draw the offside lines from the correct defender during the clash between Crystal Palace and Brighton, leading to Pervis Estupinan’s opening goal being chalked off wrongly. Brooks was due to be on VAR duties for Arsenal versus Manchester City in midweek, but his mistake at the weekend means he has been replaced by David Coote.
The Gunners will be hoping for no more officiating errors in a game which is sure to be play a major role in the title race.
Frank makes Gunners claim
Thomas Frank was very pleased to have earned a point at Arsenal last Saturday ( Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The fact that Mikel Arteta’s first-choice starting XI practically picks itself makes it easier to prepare to face Arsenal, according to Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
The Gunners boss has regularly deployed the same line-up throughout the season, partly due to the quality of his preferred XI and partly due to a lack of strength and depth. This means opponents can be confident of what they will come up against when facing the league leaders.
Frank certainly feels this makes it easier to formulate a successful game plan, judging by his comments after Saturday’s 1-1 draw in north London.
Arteta’s verdict on referee
Mikel Arteta is set to come face to face with Anthony Taylor again after making his disdain for the referee clear earlier this season.
Taylor will be the man in the middle for the visit of Manchester City on Wednesday and is regarded as one of the Premier League’s best referees. However, Arteta was less than impressed by how he officiated Arsenal’s 4-2 victory over Brighton on New Year’s Eve, when he was so aghast with his decisions that he simply started laughing.
Source: mirror.co.uk
