Arsenal receive new red card verdict after Viktor Gyokeres incident in Newcastle win

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has suggested that a Newcastle United player could have been sent off for an incident involving Viktor Gyokeres in Arsenal's last-gasp 2-1 victory at St James' Park.

The Swede has been unable to get on the score sheet for the last four games in all competitions, but he was involved in two big moments on Sunday. The first of those came after just 14 minutes when a penalty was initially given for a foul on him by Nick Pope.

However, upon reviewing the decision at the VAR monitor, Jarred Gillett reversed his call after deeming Pope had touched the ball. Arsenal and Mikel Arteta certainly felt hard done by with that call and things went from bad to worse when Nick Woltemade bagged the opener.

The Gunners fought back in the second period and equalised late on through Mikel Merino with Gabriel Magalhaes then heading home the winner in stoppage time. Despite coming away with all three points, things could have been much easier had Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles been sent off for an incident involving Gyokeres.

Lascelles, who was brought on in the 77th minute to replace the injured Tino Livramento, quickly made his presence felt by grabbing Viktor Gyokeres' face and pulling him to the ground.

This incident went unnoticed by referee Gillett and VAR official Darren England, causing quite a stir among fans and pundits alike. Hackett is the latest to provide his thoughts with it clear what he thinks should have happened.

"Here, we can see Lascelles of Newcastle United grab the face of Gyokeres, and pull it to one side," he admitted to Football Insider,

"While I can appreciate that not everything is caught by the referee, I do think VAR should have picked this up. This is an offence that should have received a sanction, but this depends on whether excessive force has been used.

"It is certainly reckless, and it cannot and should not be ignored. If it is ignored, all we are going to see is a continued escalation of grabbing, holding, pulling, pushing, and blocking inside the penalty area, which we were informed at the beginning of the season that PGMOL would be taking greater action on."

Newcastle United supporters were particularly incensed when Gabriel remained on the pitch to score the winning goal, despite appearing to strike Nick Woltemade shortly after the German had put the Magpies ahead at St James' Park.

Hackett also argued that VAR should have intervened in this situation as well, as he believed it merited a sending off.

"It's effectively a punch, which is a red-card offence," Hackett stated. "Therefore, VAR should have brought this to the referee's attention, and had that happened, he might have decided there was sufficient force.

"If a player puts his hands on another player's neck or upwards, he is committing a red-card offence. Players are expected to play with their feet and not punch opponents. This is a clear strike on an opponent."

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