Leandro Trossard sent off for 'stupid' decision in Man City v Arsenal game as Arteta furious

Gary Neville branded Leandro Trossard's second yellow card in Arsenal's trip to Manchester City as “stupidity”, while Mikel Arteta was left furious after his Belgium star was asked to leave the pitch.

With the Gunners moments before half-time holding a significant advantage, leading 2-1 thanks to goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel, Trossard gave the hosts a chance to get back into the game.

Already on a yellow card and with added time still in the seventh minute of the first half, Trossard fouled Bernardo Silva as he attempted to take a header, before kicking the ball after the whistle to earn his sending off.

It left referee Anthony Taylor with no choice but to brandish another yellow card as Mikel Arteta covered his face with his sweater in disbelief, just weeks after Declan Rice was sent off at Brighton for a similar offence.

“Arteta put his shot over his head,” Neville said on Sky Sports. “I don't think he can complain. It's a foul. He bumps Bernardo Silva and he goes after the ball. The reason we know he heard the whistle is because he's half-walking away.”

“It was stupid. I know they hug him, but I think they'll be disappointed in him when they think about it.”

Jamie Carragher added: “In the position Arsenal are in, what does Trossard do?”

Roy Keane was also unimpressed: “When you get a yellow card, don't give the referee the chance to send you off. You can say it's harsh all you want, but it's a yellow card.”

However, Arsenal will highlight another moment in the opening 45 minutes when Jeremy Doku fouled Jurrien Timber, before pushing the ball a further 15 yards when the Gunners defender attempted to play a short pass to Rice on the restart.

The Premier League Match Centre, which provides real-time VAR updates, confirmed Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball instead of fouling Silva.

On their X account (formerly known as Twitter), they wrote: “The referee has given a second yellow card to Leandro Trossard for delaying the restart.”