‘Absolute fraud’ – Arsenal fans furious with ‘shocking’ Viktor Gyokeres incident vs Brentford
Viktor Gyokeres was at the centre of a highly contentious moment during Arsenal’s clash against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
John Brooks replaced Tony Harrington as the man in the middle for the clash on Thursday, 12 February, leaving both sets of fans frustrated with several early refereeing calls.
Gyokeres has experienced a mixed time at Arsenal since arriving on a £55million deal in the summer, but with four goals in his last four games, supporters have been pleased with him in recent weeks.
He has racked up 13 goals and two assists in 32 appearances across all competitions. Sadly for the Gunners, he struggled to get involved at all against the Bees in a must-win.
Viktor Gyokeres picks up a contentious early caution vs Brentford
After just 30 minutes, the striker had already seen his name taken by the referee, appearing to trip Yehor Yarmoliuk up, who was attempting to escape down the left flank after breaking up an attack.
However, replays of the so-called “foul” showed very minimal contact between the two, certainly not enough to send the Brentford midfielder tumbling, leaving the away fans stunned and furious.
Gabriel Magalhaes had already seen his name taken, and so too had Vitaly Janelt after just four minutes, and both sets of supporters were annoyed by the referee’s decisions in the opening half.
- @Sammysviews: “Nobody can tell me most EPL Refs don’t hate Arsenal. Gyokeres just got a yellow card for absolutely nothing, and Gabriel got a yellow for a slight tackle. I’ve said countless times, Arsenal is fighting bigger wars than we know.”
- @KeithSt95808048: “Brentford players sitting down expecting a free kick. Gyokeres booked for touching a player on the shoulder. #gamesgone”
- @SecretShantha: “#BREARS referee is so keen to whistle! The Gyokeres yellow card was unbelievable.”
John Brooks has been criticised before this season
Howard Webb has questions to answer about his Premier League officials, with more and more contentious decisions being disputed during the 2025-26 campaign.
While it was nothing like a missed penalty or a wrongful red card, it was still a frustrating moment at the Gtech Community Stadium, and one that fueled the feisty atmosphere.
Brooks was in charge when Xavi Simons was sent off against Liverpool, but had VAR not been in operation, the Tottenham star might have stayed on the pitch.
More referees appear to be falling back on the technology, but not as a last resort, but rather their first port of call, which was not the idea of VAR being brought into the Premier League.
With the Premier League title race currently on a knife-edge, it is understandable to see Arsenal fans reacting to each and every moment, especially with Man City hot on their heels.