Leandro Trossard addressed his Arsenal teammates after being sent off during the encounter with Manchester City…

Leandro Trossard expressed his thoughts to his Arsenal teammates following his red card during the match against Manchester City.

After receiving a red card in the game against Manchester City, Leandro Trossard shared his thoughts with his Arsenal colleagues.

Trossard became the second Arsenal player in recent weeks to receive a red card for kicking the ball away. After his dismissal, he conveyed to his teammates that he did not hear the referee’s whistle prior to being sent off.

During the intense encounter at the Etihad, Trossard was shown a second yellow card by referee Michael Oliver for allegedly delaying the restart of play.

However, Trossard clarified in the locker room that he was attempting to make a pass, did not hear the whistle, and even communicated this to the referee, yet still received the red card.

This incident is part of a broader discussion following the title clash, where Manchester City players have accused Arsenal of employing “dark arts,” including time-wasting tactics.

However, official statistics contradict these claims, showing that the ball was in play for 63 minutes and 29 seconds, making it the fifth longest duration for any Premier League match this season.

This raises questions about the substantial added time, with eight minutes at the end of the first half and nine minutes at the end of the second half.

Initially, fourth official Andy Madley signaled six minutes of stoppage time, later extending it by an additional minute when an Arsenal player required treatment.

Arsenal had played against Atalanta on Thursday night, returned home at 4 a.m., and faced Manchester City just two days later, which likely contributed to several players experiencing cramp during the match, particularly as they played most of the game with ten men.

Two additional minutes were added during injury time, allowing John Stones to score a last-minute equalizer.

This has led to further frustration regarding the inconsistency in the amount of injury time allocated in different matches, especially given that the Opta statistics indicated the ball was in play well above the Premier League’s target of 60 minutes.

The longest duration the ball remained in play during any match this season occurred during West Ham’s home loss to Manchester City on August 31, clocking in at 66 minutes and 12 seconds.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) maintains that added time is calculated based on injuries, substitutions, and goal celebrations, asserting that this approach is equitable.

Referee Michael Oliver did not issue a yellow card to City winger Jeremy Doku for kicking the ball away, which caused a delay in a set piece.

This marks the second instance this season where an Arsenal player, following Declan Rice’s second yellow for a similar infraction, has received a red card for the same offense while an opposing player went unpunished.

This inconsistency is likely to be a significant concern for Mikel Arteta, as Arsenal could also highlight instances of City players surrounding referee Oliver to contest decisions without facing repercussions.

Additionally, Referee Oliver refrained from showing a yellow card to Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai for kicking the ball away during their home defeat to Bournemouth, leading to allegations of double standards.

Szoboszlai’s action was interpreted as a display of frustration rather than an attempt to delay the game.