Burnley left Turf Moor furious on Monday after Arsenal’s 1-0 win was overshadowed by a late tackle by Kai Havertz that was reviewed by VAR but did not lead to a red card for the Arsenal forward.
Michael Jackson, Burnley’s manager, said he believed the 69th-minute challenge on Lesley Ugochukwu should have resulted in a sending-off. He said the tackle was dangerous, that Havertz was leaving the floor and that the foul was cynical because it stopped play. Jackson added that the decision could have changed the game with 20 minutes to go and said Havertz could have injured Ugochukwu.
Arsenal had already taken control through Havertz’s first-half header, enough to secure a win that moved them one step away from their first league title since 2004. The result left Mikel Arteta’s side top of the table on 82 points after 37 matches, with Manchester City five points behind on 36 games.
That is the backdrop to the anger. Burnley did not lose by much, but they lost a match that felt close enough to turn on one ruling. Jackson said he was disappointed because his side were still in the contest, and he argued that the margin between staying in the game and being beaten can come down to the kind of decision referees are asked to make in a matter of seconds.
The incident will be argued for as long as Burnley feel they were denied a chance to change the result. Jackson said he does not like seeing players sent off, but after watching the tackle back he believed the modern interpretation of the laws made it a red card. He also said that Arsenal are dangerous from set pieces and that the details at that level separate the top teams from the rest.
For Arsenal, the arithmetic is simple. One more win and the title is theirs. They are scheduled to face Crystal Palace on May 24, before traveling to Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League final on May 30, which gives the coming week a weight that goes beyond the league table. For Burnley, the match will linger because the scoreline was narrow, the complaint was specific, and the moment that might have changed everything was reviewed and waved on.
