Gabriel Avoids Red Card as Arsenal Triumph Over Chelsea
Five minutes into a ferocious London derby, the Emirates fell silent.
A frantic scramble in Arsenal’s box, bodies strewn across the turf, the ball there to be won – and then Gabriel’s boot crashed into Emiliano Martinez’s head. The Argentina goalkeeper needed immediate treatment. Chelsea players surrounded Chris Kavanagh, demanding the Brazilian be sent off.
He stayed on.
Kavanagh, his view blocked by a crowd of players, kept his card in his pocket. VAR checked it, watched the replays, and chose not to send the referee to the monitor. The game rolled on. Chelsea fumed.
Now the Premier League’s Key Match Incident Panel has had its say – and it has come down firmly on the side of the officials.
Unanimous backing for Gabriel
All five members of the KMI panel voted that Kavanagh’s decision not to dismiss Gabriel was correct, clearing the defender of violent conduct and serious foul play.
Their reasoning centred on the chaos of the penalty area in that moment. With several players on the ground, all lunging and stretching for a loose ball, the panel judged Gabriel’s high boot to be a consequence of the scramble rather than an act of malice.
“The panel unanimously supported the referee's call of no red card,” read the explanation on the Premier League’s official channels. “Multiple players were on the ground competing and challenging for the loose ball, and the action of Gabriel was not deemed to be an act of violent conduct or serious foul play.”
For Gabriel, the verdict preserves a notable personal record. Across 265 appearances for Arsenal since joining from Lille in 2020, he has still never received a straight red card. His two dismissals in north London have both come from second yellow cards, part of a tally of 32 bookings.
Rooney and Young slam decision
The panel may be satisfied. Two former Manchester United players are anything but.
Wayne Rooney, speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, did not soften his view once he had seen the incident slowed down and dissected from multiple angles.
“You don’t really see it at first sight but then when you see a replay and they slow it down,” he said. “Martinez has got the ball in his hands and Gabriel boots him in the head, he swings a leg and goes way over the top. He’s extremely lucky to stay on the pitch.”
Ashley Young, alongside him in the studio, echoed the anger and turned his fire on the VAR process itself.
“I agree. When the ball is on the floor and Martinez has it, Gabriel kicks so high,” Young said. “I’m not sure why it hasn’t gone to VAR or if they’ve properly studied it because he’s nowhere near the ball. He’s got away with one there.”
On the pitch, Arsenal made the most of that reprieve.
Arsenal punish fragile Chelsea
The champions had been stunned inside two minutes. Morgan Rogers, the £117m headline signing, silenced the Emirates with a shock opener that briefly hinted at a statement afternoon for Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea.
Instead, it woke Arsenal up.
Kai Havertz, facing his former club, dragged Mikel Arteta’s side level and shifted the mood entirely. From that point, Arsenal played with the authority of a team intent on defending their crown and protecting their perfect start.
Five minutes after the interval, Martin Odegaard finished with the composure expected of a captain who has grown used to decisive moments in this stadium. His 50th-minute strike completed the turnaround and sealed a 2-1 win, maintaining Arsenal’s flawless opening: four games, four victories.
Chelsea, by contrast, walked away with another unwanted statistic.
Alonso’s side have now gone 20 consecutive Premier League matches without a clean sheet. For a club that has spent heavily on talent across the pitch, that run is more than a quirk. It is a problem that threatens to define their season unless it is fixed – and fast.
