Gabriel Magalhaes: 'Verdict reached' on Arsenal defender's controversial incident vs. Chelsea

Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the new Premier League campaign after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium earlier this month.

A seemingly controversial incident involving Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes and Blues goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez took place during the opening exchanges.

The Brazilian centre-back appeared to strike the former Arsenal shot-stopper in the face with his boot during a frantic scramble inside the penalty area in the fifth minute.

Neither on-field referee Chris Kavanagh nor VAR official Darren England opted to punish the 28-year-old despite protests from the visiting players.

Following a thorough review of the incident, the Premier League's Key Matches Incidents (KMI) Panel has officially ruled that Gabriel did not commit a red-card offence.

The five-person independent group unanimously supported Kavanagh's initial call to allow play to continue without issuing a dismissal.

“The panel unanimously supported the referee’s call of no red card,” the KMI ruling said via The Athletic.

“Multiple players were on the ground competing and challenging for the loose ball, and the action of Gabriel was not deemed to be an act of violent conduct or serious foul play.”

The 5-0 unanimous verdict effectively clears the South American of any retrospective punishment as Mikel Arteta prepares his squad for their upcoming domestic fixtures.

Chelsea supporters will undoubtedly feel incredibly frustrated by the unanimous ruling after the pain experienced by losing to the Gunners.

The Blues were already leading the match through a Morgan Rogers strike when the incident occurred, and a potential dismissal for Gabriel could have drastically altered the final outcome.

Instead, the Gunners capitalised on their numerical equality to mount a successful comeback through crucial goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.

While the independent panel comprises experienced former players and coaching staff, their unwavering backing of the referee will do little to appease those who felt Martinez was recklessly endangered.

Arteta will simply be relieved to have his reliable defensive stalwart available for selection against Brighton as Arsenal look to build upon their impressive sequence of four consecutive victories.

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