Former referee Dermot Gallagher has said that there was no foul in the build up to Arsenal's goal as they beat Watford 1-0 at the Emirates yesterday.
A collision between Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Ismaila Sarr was one of two points of contention ahead of the only goal of the match, while the Gunners not handing possession back to Watford after Danny Rose had put the ball out so Ozan Tufan could receive treatment was also cause for complaint for the Hornets.
However, former official Gallagher, who retired in 2007, has sided with match day official Kevin Friend, who chose not to award a free kick after the coming together.
Speaking on Sky Sports segment Ref Watch, Gallagher also pointed out that VAR would have also checked the incident and come to the same conclusion.
❌ No foul
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 8, 2021
✅ Foul
✅ Foul
Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock believe Maitland-Niles fouled Ismaila Sarr in the build up to Arsenal's goal, Dermot Gallagher disagrees.#RefWatch pic.twitter.com/AW61aCQaLU
However, former players Stephen Warnock and Sue Smith, who were in the studio alongside Gallagher, both disagreed with the official's point of view, with the former describing it as a "clear body check".
Smith added: "It's clever play but it is a foul.
"The foul is the thing that I would be more angry at if I was Watford."
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