Kai Havertz: Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes Arsenal attacker should have been sent off before scoring winner
Thomas Frank believes Arsenal match-winner Kai Havertz should have been sent off for diving before scoring the winning goal against his Brentford side.
Havertz settled the Gunners' game against Brentford with a 86th-minute header to send his side top of the Premier League table - but 20 minutes earlier was facing accusations of diving after going down under Nathan Collins' challenge.
The German attacker was already on a booking and Brentford players Ivan Toney and Vitaly Janelt protested at referee Rob Jones that Havertz should have been handed a red card - with manager Frank strongly believing that a sending off was the right decision.
"I actually think, and I would never normally do this, but I think Havertz shouldn't be on the pitch when he scored the goal," the Brentford manager told Sky Sports after the game.
"For me, it was a clear dive - the penalty shout. If you see that slowly back, it's clear. Maybe, it's difficult for Rob the ref but the linesman should have seen it, in my opinion, clearly."
Havertz was initially booked in the first half for catching Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer with a flailing arm.
The Brentford account on X, formerly known as Twitter, also pleaded for a sending off for Havertz, claiming Arsenal were "lucky to still have 11 [players on the pitch]".
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp:
"It [the first challenge] is a yellow card. He's got a history of doing that [catching players with his arm]. I remember him doing that a few times at Chelsea. He throws his elbow at people.
"The referee is not in a great position to see this [the second incident] so unless he actually gives the yellow card then VAR can't intervene anyway, but he is lucky. There's no contact at all and he is looking to gain an advantage
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