'Referees Will Be Screaming At Me For Saying This' - Ex-PGMOL chief fumes after analysing Martin Odegaard controversy

Bernardo Silva was fortunate not to be sent off after kicking out at Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard on the international stage.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Real Madrid man was "lucky" to escape a red card on Sunday, 27 September.

Efforts from Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos sandwiched an Erling Haaland goal minutes into the second half, with Jorge Jesus' side claiming all three points.

The game's biggest talking point came in the closing stages, however, with tempers flaring between two players who used to share the pitch in the Premier League.

In an attempt to slow down the game, Bernardo swiped Odegaard's feet from underneath him, leaving the Gunners captain extremely angry and frustrated.

Portugal's No.10 went into the referee's notebook, but many believe that it should have been a harsher punishment after Odegaard was seen limping in the mixed zone.

Bernardo Silva escaped because the 'referee switched off'

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett compared the incident to the recent clash between Bruno Fernandes and Phil Foden in the Manchester derby.

"It's towards the end of the game, which I think is why he didn't get a red card. This is a little bit like the [Declan] Rice one [vs Brighton], isn't it?" he said.

"It's like the Bruno Fernandes one on [Phil] Foden. The bar seems to have been raised slightly to allow a kicking offence to not receive the appropriate sanction of a red card.

"And therefore, I think that this player is lucky with the time. You'll get referees screaming at me saying, 'It don't matter whether it's the first minute or last'.

"And I agree with that. But the referee here... He may well not have seen it; he may well have switched off. The game's nearly over."

Martin Odegaard hits out at former Man City star

Odegaard is confident that he should recover in time for the resumption of the Premier League, but Mikel Arteta won't want to risk him.

Speaking after the game, the 27-year-old hit back at his opponent, saying: "I don't understand what he's doing. It does not belong on a football pitch. It's a shame that people do that."

Hackett clearly feels the same, insisting that Bernardo should have been sent off, rather than only cautioned, but VAR refused to get involved.

Man City fans, of course, will be huge fans of the incident, given that Enzo Maresca's side are top of the Premier League and Odegaard is in fine form.