Ex-refs chief: Erling Haaland 'spot-on' with Gabriel Magalhaes red card verdict vs Arsenal

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Credit: Imago / Sky Sports Main Event Mon 20 April 2026 11:30, UK Gabriel Magalhaes should have been sent off during Arsenal‘s defeat to Man City, and Erling Haaland was “spot-on” over the situation.That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that anyone arguing against a sending off is “forgetting that football is played with the feet”.Anthony Taylor was attempting to stop emotions from bubbling over, and in the 83rd minute, he booked both players for a scuffle in the centre of the pitch, only for replays to show something more sinister.Many supporters believed that Gabriel should have seen red during Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 19 April, and Haaland argued that the result would have been different had he pretended to be hurt. ⚽ Arsenal Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert verdicts and previews, and tactical analysis for every Gunners fixture. “It’s an aggressive act.

I can’t see any reason why it’s not a red card. He’s got to go.

Follow the law.” Anthony Taylor could have handled emotions better at the EtihadThe duo could have gone into the referee’s notebook much earlier, with the two stars getting wrapped up in an incident just 38 minutes into the game.Gabriel was all over the City striker’s back, and Hackett feels that had the referee intervened earlier in the game, the headbutt incident could have been avoided altogether at the Etihad Stadium.Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “What’s surprising is that with Anthony Taylor, we’ve seen him get his cards out, and his intervention here should have resulted in two yellows. It’s not clear enough to go in and say that’s the case.