Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter has said that Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana was lucky to avoid a booking after a deliberate stamp on Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
The Gunners returned to winning ways with a 1-0 Premier League win over the Blues on Sunday. Mikel Merino scored the winner with a headed goal in the 20th minute.
Barring one nervous moment from goalkeeper David Raya, Arsenal controlled the game. They could have won by a bigger margin if Leandro Trossard had finished better.
One of the major talking points surrounded Fofana, who avoided a potential sending-off after a deliberate stamp on the back of Rice.
VAR went with referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision, but Winter claims Fofana was ‘very lucky’ as his action on Rice seemed ‘deliberate’.
He said: “As for the Fofana incident, he stood on a player who was lying on the floor and escaped punishment.
“To be quite honest, I thought he was very lucky because it appeared that he knew exactly what he was doing.
“There was no force – he just placed his foot on Rice – but you could tell by the look on his face that it was deliberate. We can see that on television, but maybe the referee didn’t.
“So, I do think Fofana was lucky to avoid further action.”
Fofana committed several fouls throughout the London derby. He was eventually booked for trying to slow down play during a throw-in. Kavanagh was lenient on the Frenchman.
On another other day, the 24-year-old could have been red-carded. It did not matter in the end, as Arsenal registered their first victory in four top-flight matches.
Arsenal also continued their dominance over the Blues with their fifth win in seven meetings. They have not lost a league match against their London counterparts since August 2021.
The Gunners are 12 points behind league leaders Liverpool with nine games remaining.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com.
