KEY POINTS

  • Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer weighs in on the incident related to David Luiz being slapped with a red card
  • Solksjaer believes the referee made the wrong decision
  • Arsenal's Mikel Arteta will consult the club's legal team for their next move

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer came into the defense of rival club Arsenal after its defensive midfielder David Luiz was sent off in the Gunners' 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Tuesday.

Referee Craig Pawson slapped the Brazilian with a red card for inadvertently tripping Willian Jose. The Video Assistant Referee footage showed that the contact was minimal and appeared unintentional.

Ruben Neves scored the resulting penalty before Joao Moutinho won the game for Wolves at Molineux with a stunning 30-yard goal.

It was bitter pill to swallow for Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta after the match official upheld his decision

“If you want to talk about the decision, I've just seen the replay 10 times in five different angles. I'm sitting here with you guys and I cannot see any contact. I would like to see if VAR has a different angle,” Arteta said, as quoted on Arsenal’s official site.

Solksjaer saw a similar incident occur at Old Trafford when they played Southhampton on Tuesday. Saints defender Jan Bednarek was given the marching order after making accidental contact with Anthony Martial.

The Norwegian manager bared that he caught up with game officials to know their take on the incident prior to Manchester United's astonishing 9-0 blowout of Southhampton.

“Funnily enough, I had a discussion with the referees before the game,” Solskjaer told Metro. “I asked them what they thought about the David Luiz sending off because I don’t think he should’ve been sent off either, and Bednarek definitely shouldn’t have been sent off.”

Arsenal has the option to appeal the hotly-debated verdict, but Arteta remained non-committal. However, the coach revealed that he will hold a discussion with the club's legal team.

“Well, on my understanding here I wouldn’t say 'yes, let’s go straight away because I think we have a big chance'. But I don’t know, I will speak to legal and the club and make the best decision of what to do,” the Spanish manager stated.

The pressure mounted on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley
The pressure mounted on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley POOL / Laurence Griffiths