5 referee decisions that have gone against Arsenal this season

5. Christian Norgaard tackle on Gabriel Martinelli (April 2025)

Our list ends with the most recent ‘bad’ decision, namely the Christian Norgaard challenge on Gabriel Martinelli in our 1-1 draw versus Brentford.

The Bees’ man was very fortunate to avoid a red card; his foul was high, reckless and had a scissors-motion element that could have easily prompted his dismissal. It certainly meets the threshold for endangering an opponent, with Martinelli saying post-match that he could have had his leg broken by the tackle.

But Simon Hooper granted Norgaard reprieve and opted for a yellow card, the lack of force perhaps just doing enough to spare him an early exit.

Yet that sort of lenience gets at the root cause of Arsenal frustration towards referees this year. Amid the red cards and penalties we have suffered on technicalities and harsh officiating, other teams can escape the same fate even if, as in this case, a red card seems like the obvious and appropriate punishment.

If a red card had been issued, would/could anyone have complained?

Norgaard’s foul is arguably worse than Lewis-Skelly’s at Wolves, while James Tarkowski perhaps clears both with his horrific tackle in the Merseyside derby. But only one of those incidents led to a red card and that sort of inconsistency, to pick and choose when the letter of the law applies, has only fuelled Arsenal animosity towards the officials.

Glad I got all that off my chest.   

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