Mark Clattenburg shares whether Cole Palmer should have been sent off for Chelsea vs Arsenal
Games between Arsenal and Chelsea are always controversial, and this one was no different.
Mikel Arteta’s side picked up a deserved 2-1 win against the Blues, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
However, some Chelsea fans argue that Gabriel Magalhaes should’ve been sent off for kicking Emiliano Martinez in the face, while Arsenal supporters feel Cole Palmer should’ve seen red.
Arsenal Insider asked former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg for his expert opinion on the latter.
Mark Clattenburg delivers verdict on Cole Palmer not getting a red card vs Arsenal
Arsenal completely deserved to beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners conceded very early to Morgan Rogers, but from that point on, they were the more dominant side at both ends of the pitch.
Havertz scored a lovely goal from outside the box before his brilliant dummy allowed Odegaard to seal it with a great strike past Martinez.
The 2-1 scoreline does make the game feel a lot closer than it actually was. It could well have been more comfortable had Palmer received his marching orders.
The Englishman committed a cynical foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly at the edge of Arsenal’s own box, but referee Chris Kavanagh did not show him a yellow card.
Then, just a few moments later, Palmer brought down Havertz while he seemed to be through on goal, and the Chelsea superstar rightly received a yellow card for that offence.
Clattenburg has now claimed that Palmer was lucky to avoid the booking for his foul on Lewis-Skelly, but he feels the England international would never have brought Havertz down had he already been on a yellow card.
The former referee exclusively told Arsenal Insider: “Cole Palmer was certainly fortunate to escape a yellow card for a challenge on Lewis-Skelly but was then given a yellow card for pulling back Havertz to stop a promising attack.
“Some people will say that he was lucky to stay on the pitch, but I don’t think this is correct, as if Palmer had got a yellow card earlier, then he may not have committed the second act of pulling back Havertz.”
Thankfully for Arsenal, it did not matter in the end. If the Gunners had dropped points, we’re sure Arteta would have had a thing or two to say about Palmer staying on the pitch.
