Peter Schmeichel has blasted Michael Oliver’s performance as referee for Manchester City vs Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. The two teams engaged in a top of the table clash, with both desperate to get one over their title rivals early in the season. Considering how close things have been in the race for the trophy over the last couple of years, dropping points even in September can have a massive impact on the way it all shapes out.
As a result, it was a tense affair and one filled with some very memorable moments. Erling Haaland scored his 100th City goal, becoming the fastest player to ever reach the milestone alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, putting his side in front early, before Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel turned the game on its head in the first half with the former scoring an incredible strike from distance while the latter headed home another corner.
Leandro Trossard was then sent off for kicking the ball away and receiving his second yellow card of the match and after defending with their backs against the wall for the majority of the match, the 10 men of Arsenal were left shattered after John Stones scored an equaliser deep into injury time. There were several controversial moments throughout and it wasn’t an easy afternoon for Oliver.
Schmeichel Claims Oliver Wanted the Spotlight
He was furious with the ref
There’s no doubt about it, Oliver’s decisions impacted the way the match played out and Schmeichel was furious with what he saw from the official. Speaking after the game, the former Manchester United man blasted him for his performance and accused him of wanting the spotlight for himself. He also stressed about how big a game the contest was, emphasising how disappointing it was to see the referee underperform. He even accused Oliver of trying to make the title race more interesting with his decision-making.
“Michael Oliver is doing everything he can to make this race for everyone. This is the biggest game in the Premier League so far! Soft yellow cards!
“Why is Michael Oliver trying to ruin it? It’s a big game, emotions are flying high — understand what you are dealing with here, but no — Michael Oliver wants himself in the spotlight!”
The former goalkeeper certainly didn’t hold back. He isn’t alone in his frustration, though, and there were several major moments in the game that Oliver could have handled differently.
Oliver Made Several Controversial Decisions
He upset both fanbases
It wasn’t a good day at the office for Oliver and there were several major decisions throughout the game that he could have handled differently. First, with Arsenal’s equalising goal, he called Kyle Walker out of position to talk to him and then allowed the Gunners to take the set-piece before he’d returned to his area. This allowed Arsenal to take advantage of the space and Calafiori ultimately scored a cracking strike. Not only that, but the free-kick was also taken around 10 yards away from where it should have been according to the City players.
Then, he decided to show Trossard a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, sending the Belgian off in the process and leaving Arsenal with 10 men for the remainder of the contest. This wouldn’t have been as egregious a decision had he not decided to let Jeremy Doku go unpunished for a similar offence earlier in the game. Talk about making enemies of both sides.
