[땡큐뉴스 / 이근우 기자] Rob Holding (27, Arsenal FC), who was sent off after fouling Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham Hotspur), was severely criticized by the local media.
Arsenal narrowed the gap by one point in the match against Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League ‘North London Derby’ of the 2021-2022 season held at Tottenham Hotspur in London, England on the 13th (Korean time).
In the match, Harry Kane’s multi-goal and Son Heung-min’s key goal came to Tottenham’s victory. Heung-Min Son was involved in all three goals, and was highly praised by the local media and spurred the competition for the top scorer with Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 22 goals) with his 21st goal in the EPL league. However, the holding that held Heung-Min Son in check rose on the cutting board.
Holding competed with Son Heung-min in the 11th minute of the first half and hit the back. He was only given a verbal warning by the referee, but it was not strange to receive a yellow card. After that, the two players got tangled up again, and the first warning came out in the process of a nerve battle.
But Holding’s offense did not end there. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Heung-Min Son was penetrating, and the referee eventually pulled out a red card when Holding turned his elbow to his face. Heung-Min Son was a threat to Arsenal throughout the game, but it was an irrational defense.
Regarding this, British media ‘The Sun’ said, “Holding’s behavior was madness. Holding’s action was like watching WWE.”
Soccer experts Gary Neville and Ian Wright also came together to criticize Holding. Arsenal suffered criticism after losing in the important ‘North London Derby’, where a place in the UEFA Champions League is at stake.
After the match, manager Mikel Arteta expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, but coach Antonio Conte praised Arteta but said he should refrain from any inconvenience. At the ‘North London Derby’ held in January, Conte also mentioned the fact that Arsenal requested a game with one confirmed case of Corona 19.