Extremely Lucky To Stay On The Pitch — Rooney Slams Gabriel’s Chelsea Incident

Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has described Arsenal defender Gabriel as “extremely lucky” to have avoided a red card during Arsenal’s 2-1 Premier League comeback victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The controversial incident occurred in the first half when Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez was on the ground holding the ball. Gabriel attempted to play the ball with his left foot but completely missed his target, with his boot making contact with Martinez’s head.

Referee Chris Kavanagh allowed play to continue without awarding a foul, while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) also opted against recommending an on-field review, despite Martinez requiring medical attention after the incident.

Speaking during Match of the Day, Rooney argued that Gabriel was fortunate to remain on the pitch after seeing a replay of the challenge.

According to Rooney, the incident appeared less serious at normal speed but looked considerably worse when viewed in slow motion. He maintained that Martinez already had possession of the ball when Gabriel swung his leg and made contact with the goalkeeper’s head.

The former Manchester United star described Gabriel as “extremely lucky” to have avoided a red card and questioned why VAR did not intervene.

Former Manchester United teammate Ashley Young also appeared to agree with Rooney’s assessment, suggesting that the height of Gabriel’s boot and the fact that Martinez had possession of the ball warranted closer scrutiny from VAR.

However, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey offered a contrasting interpretation of the incident. He argued that the situation involved several players on the ground with legs moving in different directions and maintained that Gabriel appeared to be attempting to reach the loose ball rather than deliberately kick Martinez.

Halsey acknowledged that Gabriel missed the ball and subsequently caught Martinez in the head but questioned whether the challenge could legally be classified as violent conduct. He suggested that only the Arsenal defender would know whether the contact was intentional.

The controversial moment added to the drama of an entertaining London derby that saw Chelsea take an early lead through summer signing Morgan Rogers.

Arsenal quickly responded, with former Chelsea forward Kai Havertz finding the equaliser before Martin Ødegaard completed the comeback shortly after the interval.

Chelsea pushed for a second goal but were unable to find a way through as Arsenal held firm to secure all three points.