Manchester United have been told that Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino was lucky not to be punished after standing on Alejandro Garnacho during the second half of Sunday's clash.
At first, the incident seemed innocuous as Garnacho stayed on the ground while Merino and Casemiro battled for possession. However, replays showed that the midfielder had landed on the back of the Argentine's leg.
Several players have received red cards for similar incidents but while former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher admitted it did not look good, it would not have constituted a red card offence. "I think the referee, if he is going to give anything, would be a yellow card," he explained on Sky Sports' Ref Watch.
READ MORE: Man United sent new referee VAR verdict as Anthony Taylor Arsenal penalty decisions explained
"It doesn’t look good but I don’t think it is a red card. You see Casemiro gives him a kick as well, so he gets booted by two players.
"It is unfortunate that the ball gets tangled up but sometimes it is almost best for the referee in that situation [to let play continue]. What does help Garnacho is that Merino stands on his boot and not his ankle."
Arsenal felt they should have had a penalty of their own when they were pushing for a winner after Ayden Heaven had the ball hit his arm in the area. However, Gallagher was quick to dismiss the Gunners' appeals.
"He heads it onto his own arm and then goes to clear the ball but not a penalty, it can’t be given for that," he added. "Nobody will give a penalty for that."
