Why Kai Havertz wasn’t sent off for Rodri incident during Man City vs Arsenal amid VAR admission

Kai Havertz and Rodri were involved in a highly controversial moment just seconds into Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Manchester City. With Pep Guardiola’s side getting the action underway, the ball was played back to Ederson but before it could reach him, Rodri was captured in a heap on the floor.

Viewers at home did not initially have a clear view of the collision but the reaction of Gary Neville on commentary made it sound as though Havertz could be in trouble. Replays were eventually played with the Germany international shown to have barged Rodri over as he attempted to block the Arsenal man from running towards the ball.

While the City midfielder received some treatment, VAR reviewed the incident to see if it could be considered violent conduct however, through lead commentator Peter Drury, it was deemed to be ‘body to body’ contact with no malice involved, and Rodri’s discomfort arrived as a result of ‘both running into each other’.

That event seemingly set the tone for the rest of the game with three goals and a red card arriving in the first half. Erling Haaland put City in front before Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel turned the game on its head. With the Gunners in control, Leandro Trossard was shown a second yellow card for delaying the restart just seconds before half time.

Against a wall of Arsenal defenders for the second period, City struggled to break down their opponents until John Stones grabbed the equaliser off the bench with minutes to spare. Unsurprisingly, given the magnitude of the clash and all the major talking points coming out of it, Sky Sports’ Ref Watch covered five major incidents.

Alongside offering his thoughts on Trossard’s red card, the controversy surrounding Arsenal’s first goal and much more, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher explained why Havertz was not sent off for his clash with Rodri.

“Not the ideal start for refereeing the game is it? You have to be on your mettle from the word go. Is it it a clash, has he deliberately done it? Only he knows,” he admitted when discussing the incident. “What you would say is it’s not a red card so VAR cannot intervene. They looked at it, it’s just not the best start you want as a referee.

“The fact the guy is stood still, he hasn’t run at Rodri has he? He hasn’t gone with his arm raised and used it with a weapon and with intensity and power. He’s probably seen him coming, gone to block him off and it’s like ‘welcome to the game’ I suppose.”