Furious fans point out Arsenal got away with the exact SAME offence that saw Tyrone Mings give away a bizarre penalty in Champions League defeat... so why weren't the Gunners punished?
- Tyrone Mings conceded a penalty after picking up the ball from a goal kick
- But Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes has escaped punishment for the same offence
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Angry fans were quick to point out that Arsenal escaped punishment for the exact same offence that saw Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings concede his bizarre penalty against Club Brugge on Wednesday night.
Mings, who was making his Champions League debut for Unai Emery's side, was punished for a lapse in concentration a few minutes after half time, as he picked up Emiliano Martinez's goal kick in order to reposition the ball on the edge of the six-yard box.
To the former England international's dismay, referee Tobias Stieler blew his whistle and called for handball, awarding the hosts a penalty which was smartly converted by Hans Vanaken for the only goal of the game.
The decision, which was checked and cleared by VAR, has sparked controversy among fans on social media, with many questioning why Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes avoided punishment for the same offence against Bayern Munich last campaign.
After receiving a goal-kick pass from David Raya in the 66th minute of Arsenal's Champions League clash against the Bundesliga giants, Gabriel leant down to pick up and reposition the ball before referee Glenn Nyberg waved the game on.
Aston Villa star Tyrone Mings (above) conceded a dire penalty on Wednesday after picking up the ball in his own box - something Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes got away with last season
The defender picked up the ball from Emiliano Martinez after his goalkeeper took a goal kick
Arsenal defender Gabriel handled the ball from a goal kick against Bayern Munich last campaign, but the referee chose to take no action in the Champions League fixture
Unlike with Mings' unfortunate blunder, the incident was initially missed by live television broadcasts before being analysed at length on replays.
Despite wild protests from Bayern Munich's players — and their then manager Thomas Tuchel who was last month appointed as England's new permanent head coach — the Brazilian was not made to pay for picking up the ball.
Tuchel fumed after the match and claimed that the referee's explanation for not awarding the penalty was because it was a 'kid's mistake'.
‘For me, for all of us, he made a huge mistake not giving the handball penalty,’ said the German.
‘I know it is a crazy situation but they put the ball down, he whistles, he gives the ball and the defender takes the ball in his hand.
‘What makes us really angry is the explanation on the field. He told our players that it is a “kid’s mistake” and he will not give a penalty like this in a quarter-final.
‘This is a horrible, horrible explanation. He is judging handballs. Kid’s mistake, adult’s mistake. Whatever. We feel angry because it is a huge decision against us.’
Multiple fans took to social media during and after Aston Villa's 1-0 defeat to highlight how inconsistently the two scenarios were officiated, with some even going so far as to claim, boldly, that referees show 'favouritism' towards Arsenal.
Pundits Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown were in disbelief at the decision after the final whistle
Thomas Tuchel was fuming with the referee's decision not to award his Bayern side a spot-kick
Harry Kane was also livid, claiming Gabriel's handball was the 'clearest penalty he'd ever seen'
One fan posted on X: 'There is no world in which Mings thinks Martinez has taken that goal kick. Ludicrous. Didn’t Arsenal get away with that last season?'
Another said: 'Tyrone Mings concedes a penalty for this brain fart of a handball. But when Arsenal do it, PGMOL don’t dare give it, because “it’s Arsenal.” Tell me again how they don’t get any favouritism from the officials.'
A third supporter added: 'I’m yet to see Arsenal fans comment about Tyrone Mings even though their defenders are known for doing stuff like that I remember last season Arsenal vs Bayern first leg where Gabriel did exact thing. Anyway, it doesn’t suit their agenda, they’ll mute on this one.'
After Arsenal's match last season, TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand urged that the Gunners were lucky not to concede a spot-kick, despite admitting Bukayo Saka should have been awarded one too earlier in the match.
The former Man United star said: 'It's a pen, oh my gosh. How can that not be given?'
'I was so adamant that Saka's one was, I'm even more for this. It's unbelievable. How can he blow the whistle like that and not give it?'
Gunners legend Martin Keown said the incident was 'absolutely indefensible', adding: 'The referee is maybe a little bit out of his depth.
'We thought he had a decent game, but there's key moments in the game there both teams can look at.'
Many fans on social media pointed out that Arsenal escaped punishment for the same offence
Mings became the first Englishman ever in Champions League to concede a penalty on debut
And Bayern Munich and England forward Harry Kane vented: 'We should have gotten a clear penalty when the referee blew his whistle. The goalkeeper passed the ball and Gabriel took it into his hands. That’s the clearest penalty I’ve ever seen.'
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, however, praised the referee after the match for using 'common sense'.
After Mings' costly blunder, Aston Villa went on to lose the game 1-0 in what marked the club's first Champions League defeat on the season.
He became the first English player in history to concede a penalty on his Champions League debut, and it will no doubt be one that lives long in the memory.
