Slavia Prague vs Arsenal ref watch: Three decisions Aliyar Aghayev got wrong
Mikel Arteta can be pleased with Arsenal’s performance against Slavia Prague, but the same cannot be said for referee Aliyar Aghayev.
Viktor Gyokeres has been in indifferent form for Arsenal since his big-money arrival this summer, but the Gunners were without his presence through the middle due to a new injury.
Luckily for Arteta, Mikel Merino is a perfect striker alternative, and the Spaniard was on target twice after Bukayo Saka opened the scoring from the penalty spot on Tuesday, 4 November.
Ben White escaped conceding a late penalty after a VAR review as Arsenal ran out 3-0 victors against Slavia Prague.
Despite it being a comfortable victory for the Premier League giants, there were questions raised around the referee’s performance, with Football Insider picking out three interesting decisions on the night.
Slavia Prague wrongly punished for handball
As Slavia Prague lined up to defend another corner kick, there was a long wait, with very few supporters fully aware of what the referee was stopping play for. Seconds later, the Gunners had a penalty.
Attempting to defend the previous cross, a flick-on appeared to deflect off Lukas Provod’s hand on the way to goal, but the attacker had no knowledge of the situation.
With the home side defending brilliantly until this moment in the game, it could be seen as a major turning point between the two sides, and one that will be debated long after the final whistle.
Mikel Merino picks up a yellow card for a perfectly timed tackle
Not that the midfielder will be bothered, but Merino appeared to be unfairly cautioned for his sliding tackle on Youssoupha Sanyang after just 37 minutes.
As well as the opposition going down rather theatrically, there was very limited contact, if any, and the referee completely bought it, dishing out a yellow card inside the first half.
While it made no impact on the game, it might come back to bite the Arsenal man later in the competition if he picks up too many cautions.
Aliyar Aghayev blows up for William Saliba’s challenge
Similar to Merino’s challenge, William Saliba was baffled to find himself with the referee in his face after a brilliantly-timed tackle on his opponent just before the half-time whistle sounded.
No yellow card was shown for the talented defender, but even having a free-kick awarded against him was extremely surprising. It was just another weird moment from Aghayev.