Kai Havertz was not cautioned with a second yellow card before to scoring Arsenal’s decisive goal against Brentford, as both referee Rob Jones and video assistant referee (VAR) Paul Tierney determined that the German player did not simulate a fall in the penalty area.

Kai Havertz was not cautioned with a second yellow card before to scoring Arsenal’s decisive goal against Brentford, as both referee Rob Jones and video assistant referee (VAR) Paul Tierney determined that the German player did not simulate a fall in the penalty area.

Mikel Arteta’s team has the opportunity to celebrate on Saturday night as they currently occupy the top position in the Premier League. They are aware that either Liverpool or Manchester City, or maybe both, will lose points when they compete against each other at Anfield on Sunday.

Declan Rice scored the first goal for the Gunners in the early stages of the match against the Bees. However, an error by Aaron Ramsdale just before half-time allowed Yoanne Wissa to score and equalize. Following the half, Arsenal made a determined effort to regain the lead and succeeded in doing so in the 86th minute, when Havertz scored a header from Ben White’s cross.

Nevertheless, the objective was not devoid of dispute. Controversy has arisen around Havertz’s presence on the pitch and his alleged dive to earn a penalty in the 66th minute, with some questioning whether he deserved to have such a significant influence on the game.

The player fell in the penalty area after being challenged by Nathan Collins, but referee Jones quickly signaled for the game to continue. As per usual practice, Tierney examined the incident at Stockley Park but could not identify any grounds to grant a penalty, therefore allowing the game to proceed.

Football.london has learned that in cases like this, the absence of a foul being awarded does not necessarily imply that the player intentionally tried to mislead the referees by diving, especially if such an action would be considered a yellow card offense. Jones refrained from requesting a free-kick in Brentford’s favor, which he would have done if he believed the attacker had simulated a foul, resulting in Havertz not being penalized.