Kai Havertz was the hero for Arsenal as the Gunners secured the dramatic late win against Brentford this month which sent the Emirates into a frenzy and put Mikel Arteta’s men top of the Premier League table heading into the international break.
Kai Havertz bagged his fourth goal in as many Premier League games, with his header earning Arsenal the three points against the Bees, who had certainly given the Gunners a good scare.
Havertz has gone some way to silencing his doubters at the Emirates. There is absolutely no question that he has been such a better signing than many of us ever expected.
But there was one controversial incident involving the Germany international shortly before he headed home the winner.
Havertz – who was already on a yellow card – went down inside the penalty area as he looked to knock the ball past Nathan Collins. Immediately, the Brentford players was adamant that the 24-year-old should have been shown a second yellow and sent off.
Darren Bent reacts to KMI panel’s verdict on Kai Havertz dive
No penalty was given. But the Arsenal man obviously remained on the pitch. Havertz has come in for criticism for the dive.
Interestingly, The Times reported this week that the Key Match Incidents panel decided that Havertz should have indeed seen red. They felt that it was a clear act of simulation from the forward.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Darren Bent insisted that he cannot understand why exactly the KMI panel have decided to release this information, questioning who exactly it benefits.
“First and foremost, I don’t know why they do this. Because it just makes them look so incompetent. I don’t know why. They keep coming out and going, ‘we just want to let the nation know that we made another mistake’. Just don’t say anything. You’re not going to get brownie points for coming out afterwards and going: ‘we made a mistake’,” he said.
“If you’re a Brentford fan, that doesn’t do you any favours. You’re going to be infuriated, like, ‘hold on a second here, why do you keep doing that?'”
Punishing Arsenal star may have set a dangerous precedent
Bent was then asked whether Havertz should have been punished retrospectively given that it has now been decided that he should have been sent off. And while he agreed with the panel’s verdict, he claimed it may set a dangerous precedent.
“If you endanger a player and it gets missed, then I think yes. It was a dive, and the contact looked like it was generated by Kai Havertz. But that’s where it becomes a little bit difficult because, say he jumped over someone’s foot and he fell over, I get it. But when there is even minimal amounts of contact, then you can’t go: ‘he’s dived’. Even though we know he’s dived,” he added.
Bent’s comments may confuse some. But perhaps he is worried about the introduction of a grey area when it comes to future incidents where players have potentially dived.
There are free-kicks in every single game now where players could have stayed on their feet. However, they know that referees no longer seem to recognise fouls unless they go to ground. And with that, it is taking less and less contact for players to go down and exaggerate the pain. Arsenal themselves, should have probably had a couple of penalties during that second-half against Brentford.
This is not excusing what Havertz has done. Even the most loyal Arsenal fan would struggle to argue that he has been fouled.
But the referees in the Premier League should be the best of the best. And if they do miss a clear dive, the VAR should have the power to intervene and recommend a second yellow.
The post 'You're going to be infuriated': Darren Bent cannot believe what's now been said on 24-year-old Arsenal star appeared first on TBR Football.