FA told to introduce points deductions after footage of Arsenal vs Wolves incident emerges
Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has exclusively told Football Insider that Arsenal and Wolves can expect action from the FA after the scenes that followed Wednesday’s clash.
Tom Edozie’s stoppage-time strike deflected in off Riccardo Calafiori to see the game end 2-2, despite the Gunners having been 2-0 up just 35 minutes earlier.
Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie scored to put Arsenal in a commanding position before Hugo Bueno’s brilliantly curled shot set up the grandstand finish.
A brawl broke out on the pitch at full-time after a furious Gabriel Jesus shoved Yerson Mosquera to the floor.
The Brazilian was shown a yellow card by referee Paul Tierney, who oversaw the rest of the confrontation without incident.
Keith Hackett calls on harsher punishment for post-match scenes
There is some history between Jesus and Mosquera. Arsenal and Wolves faced off at the start of last season, with the defender seen grabbing the Brazilian in an unsightly manner in the second half.
Jesus reacted angrily, but Mosquera faced no action. As the defender celebrated in front of the Arsenal striker on Wednesday, however, he received an aggressive push to the chest for his trouble.
“Jesus of Arsenal was yellow-carded for his aggressive push on his opponent, Mosquera, who fell to the ground as though taking a punch from AJ,” explained Hackett.
“Whilst he was pushed, his clear act of simulation, clutching his face when falling, can only be seen as an effort to get his opponent sent off.
“These were the two players that sparked the conflict that will no doubt result in both clubs charged for failing to control their players.
“Experienced referee Paul Tierney remained calm, and the FA no doubt will be taking a close look at his report that contains a special incident report section.
“What makes the whole situation look much worse is when members of the technical area pile in with good intentions to stop the conflict, but in doing so create negative images of the Premier League.
“In determining the level of fine to be imposed The Independent Disciplinary Panel will look at the recent history of both clubs to determine how many noughts follow the pound sign.
“It is many years ago when the FA dealt with a mass confrontation and decided that both clubs would be deducted points.
“That day, I was the man in the middle trying to sort out and calm down 21 players. Yes, David Seaman, the Arsenal goalkeeper, remained in position between the posts whilst the remainder squared up to each other.
“Perhaps the time is coming when the FA, to protect the image of the game, should start to think of points deductions.
“It worked then and I suggest that it would work now. Time for strong action to stop these post-match outbursts.”
What Mikel Arteta said after Wolves vs Arsenal scenes
Arsenal will need to pick themselves up very quickly ahead of the North London derby on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta was not happy with the scenes he saw after the game, but he will hope to see that anger go into the upcoming performances.
| Wolves | Match stats | Arsenal |
| 42% | Possession | 58% |
| 5 | Shots | 10 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 0.29 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.60 |
| 1 | Corners | 3 |
“It’s part of football,” he said when asked by BBC Sport about the post-match scenes on Wednesday. “They all want to win, the application levels of this team is unquestionable.
“There’s going to always be frustration and anger, but we have to show it in the right way.”