Rodri red card, good news for Arsenal versus Manchester City

Manchester City go a man down to Nottingham Forest after midfielder, Rodri went rogue on opposition player, Morgan Gibbs-White in the Saturday clash.

The Pep Guardiola side had raced into an early 2-0 lead prior to incident that has the Spanish Defensive Midfielder shoving the Forest star by the neck in the 46th minute, shortly after the second half kick off.

Manchester City’s clash with Nottingham Forest, though having City in full dominance, saw the narratives take a different turn following Rodri’s  altercation with Morgan Gibbs-White that resulted in the midfielder being sent off for violent conduct.

At halftime, Pep Guardiola’s side appeared to be comfortably leading 2-0, courtesy of goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. However, just seconds into the second half, Rodri’s rash actions resulted in City being reduced to 10 men.

The incident unfolded at the corner flag when the Spanish midfielder got into a physical confrontation with Gibbs-White. In a moment of indiscretion, Rodri was seen grabbing the Forest midfielder by the neck, leading to immediate repercussions.

Referee Anthony Taylor wasted no time in showing Rodri the red card following a brief review by VAR. Consequently, the 27-year-old will be suspended and unavailable for City’s upcoming crucial match against Arsenal, which is scheduled to take place in just over two weeks’ time.

Former referee Mike Dean shared his insights on the incident during a commentary on Sky Sports.

Dean noted,

“Gibbs-White goes down with a touch of theatrics, but upon closer examination, it’s evident that Rodri pushed him in the neck. This explains the rationale behind his dismissal.”

The red card sees Rodri miss Manchester City’s next 2 premier league fixtures, with the second coming against title rivals, Arsenal, and with the Spaniard a key player in the City team, this will come as an unexpected positive for Mikel Arteta on that day.

Prior to the red card against Nottingham Forest, Rodri proved his class against Forest by making a quick interception in the second half to deny their opponent a goal scoring chance on a counter-attack.