Red card claim made after Brentford’s ‘brutal’ tackle on Arsenal’s Martinelli

Former Premier League midfielder Steve Sidwell believes Christian Norgaard’s rough tackle on Gabriel Martinelli during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford was supposed to be a red card offense.

The incident happened in the first half at the Emirates Stadium. Brentford captain Norgaard lunged in with both feet off the ground, wrapping his body around Martinelli to stop the Arsenal winger for running forward. The referee Simon Hooper showed only a yellow card but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was not happy and asked the fourth official for stronger action.

After the game, the tackle became a big topic of debate on Sky Sports, where Steve Sidwell, Jamie Redknapp, and presenter Dave Jones gave their opinions. Sidwell said, “When you watch the replay, if the referee had given a red card, I don’t think anyone would complain. It was right on the edge.”

Sidwell added that while it didn’t look like Norgaard was trying to hurt Martinelli, it was still a risky challenge. “I’ve made similar tackles where one leg goes for the ball and the other leg follows through. It can look like a scissor motion,” he explained. “I don’t think Norgaard meant any harm, but it was close.”

Jamie Redknapp also shared his view, saying, “It wasn’t a nice tackle. It was desperate because Norgaard knew he couldn’t keep up with Martinelli’s pace, so he just tried to stop him. He went in with two feet and wrapped himself around Martinelli. You don’t often see those given as red cards, but yes—it was definitely dangerous.”

After the game, Martinelli was asked what he thought about the challenge. He replied, “I didn’t watch it back yet, but at the time, if my foot had been on the ground, he could’ve broken my leg. He told me he didn’t mean it, and I believe him. But for me, it was a red card. It was nasty.”

The draw against Brentford was already frustrating for Arsenal fans, and this incident has now added more debate over the referee’s decision-making.