Yesterday’s refereeing was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
For the first 15 minutes, the ref fell for Arsenal’s shenanigans: blowing a foul for every slight fall and every little touch. Then, all of a sudden, he clocked their dirty antics and took complete control of the game.
He stopped buying their silly theatrics: Mosquera time wasting, Havertz falling at every slight touch, Saka wasting time for the corner, Arteta touchline tantrums, Madueke diving. I can go on and on
Arsenal have become so used to getting away with this cunning stuff from Premier League refs that they seemed genuinely shocked when it didn’t work.
I’m glad the referee refused to be intimidated and stood his ground. That’s how you referee a final.
You might con your way to a Premier League title, but you can’t do it in the UCL. Either you play like real men or go home