Exclusive: Arsenal face FA charge after Anthony Taylor incident vs Brighton
Arsenal could now be charged by the FA after the penalty they conceded in their clash with Brighton, Keith Hackett has suggested.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the Gunners could be investigated over the reaction of their players to the award of the spot-kick.
Mikel Arteta’s side travelled to the AMEX Stadium on Saturday (4 January) looking for a fourth straight win in the Premier League to further close the gap on league leaders Liverpool.
They were though hampered by the award of a penalty, that Hackett believes could yet have further consequences for Arsenal.
Keith Hackett suggests Arsenal could be set for FA investigation over penalty incident
Things started well for the Gunners in that game, with Ethan Nwaneri, who was filling in for the injured Bukayo Saka again, gave them a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Arsenal though would see that lead cancelled out on the hour-mark as Joao Pedro scored from the spot after an unusual penalty was awarded.
With the ball in the air inside the visitors’ penalty area, both Pedro and William Saliba attempted to win a header.
It was the Brighton man who got to the ball first, with the Arsenal centre-back – who has had some moments to forget recently – then instead making contact with the Brazilian’s head with his own.
That prompted referee Anthony Taylor to point to the spot, with the on-field decision then being confirmed by VAR.
Hackett has now indicated the angry reaction of the Gunners’ squad could lead to more trouble for the north London club.
Speaking to Football Insider about the incident, the former referee said:
“Brighton were awarded a penalty kick for a clash of heads which was checked by VAR.
“It will be interesting to see if the Football Association charges Arsenal for failing to control their players given that Taylor was surrounded by protesting Arsenal players.”
That penalty meant both sides would settle for a point in a 1-1 draw, leaving the Gunners five points behind Liverpool having played two games more than Arne Slot’s side.
In other news, Arsenal are plotting a January transfer raid on Bayern Munich.
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