Premier League panel admit Gabriel should have been off for Erling Haaland headbutt

 Arsenal star Gabriel deserved a red card for his headbutt on Erling Haaland, a Premier League panel has decided. The Brazilian defender escaped a dismissal after appearing to throw his head towards the Manchester City striker in last month’s clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Neither the referee Anthony Taylor nor VAR deemed the incident worthy of a red card, with both Gabriel and Haaland cautioned. The VAR, John Brooks, deemed that the headbutt was not "not excessively aggressive or violent” so did not intervene.

But a Premier League panel has now offered their take and admitted that Gabriel should indeed have been sent off. The Premier League's key match incidents panel voted 3:2 in favour of a red card and claimed that "the extra head movement forward from Gabriel" should be seen as violent conduct.

The other two panellists however argued "there is little force or initial backwards movement from Gabriel." And while it was admitted that a red card should have been the course of action, the panel actually voted 4:1 against a VAR intervention.

Had Gabriel been sent off, he would have been handed an automatic three-game ban for violent conduct which would have seen him miss the win against Newcastle, as well as upcoming fixtures against Fulham and West Ham.

Haaland gave his verdict on the incident in the immediate aftermath and claimed that had he been slightly more dramatic, Gabriel may have been sent off. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think it's always like this. A lot of fighting and these kind of things.

"That's others to decide if I won that battle. Of course, I scored the goal. I won that battle in the decisive moment, the cross was perfect. It was a great goal. In the end, we win

He added: "If I fell on the floor there, which I will not do unless someone really attacks me, then it would maybe be red card. I'm not sure, I haven't seen the situation. It is what it is, I will not fall on the floor. For me I don't know why he comes up to my face."

Meanwhile, former Manchester United star Gary Neville was left baffled that Gabriel stayed on the pitch. Speaking on commentary, he said: “Now why did you do that, Gabriel?

“You can put your heads against each other, I got done in a game a long time ago, the moment you throw it forward you get a red. I can’t believe that’s not a red to be honest.”