Aston Villa claimed a 2-1 win over Arsenal to move up to third place in the Premier League table
Kieran Horn and Mark Wakefield Sport Central Audience Writer
16:53, 08 Dec 2025
Emiliano Martinez helped Aston Villa beat his former club Arsenal at the weekend(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his take on a contentious red card incident during the Aston Villa’s win over Arsenal. Villa claimed a 2-1 win over the Gunners on Saturday afternoon with Matty Cash and Emiliano Buendia on the score.
The victory at Villa Park also saw both Amadou Onana of Villa and Bukayo Saka of Arsenal penalised for robust tackles, with accusations later levelled at Emiliano Martinez for allegedly trying to get the Gunners forward sent off.
Cash opened the scoring for Villa in the second half before Leandro Trossard equalised for Arsenal. Buendia then scored the winning goal for Unai Emery’s side in stoppage time.
Given the high stakes of the match, there were several heated confrontations and strong challenges. Onana’s tackle on Mikel Merino was one such instance, but no card was issued, a decision Gallagher agreed with, reports football.london.
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During an appearance on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher said: “Not for me [if Onana’s challenge was a possible red]. He slides in, but he’s low.”
Saka was shown a yellow card for delaying the restart, although Martinez argued for a second booking for his foul on Ian Maatsen.
However, Jay Bothroyd firmly disagreed that Saka deserved two bookings and instead criticised Martinez for his reaction. Bothroyd said: “The yellow card is for the reaction. I can understand why because he’s toed the ball away, but he’s got to keep his emotions in check.”
“Martinez is trying to get him [Saka] sent off, which is poor from him. It’s definitely not a second yellow. Saka is trying to avoid Martinez if anything, but Martinez is playing the game.”
Vila’s win over Arsenal saw them move up to third place in the Premier League table and three points behind the Gunners, who are top of the table, as they target Champions League qualification and more silverware this term.
Emery and Co. will now prepare to face Basel in the Europa League on Thursday night, before returning to top flight action at the weekend when they travel to face West Ham at the London Stadium.
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