Fabio Vieira ‘thinks he’s Patrick Vieira’, says Arsenal legend, as Gunners sub is sent off for ‘dangerous’ tackle
Arsenal might have beaten Burnley 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium, but a reckless tackle from Fabio Vieira left a sour taste in the mouth.
In what was shaping up to be a relatively run of the mill victory for the Gunners, a crude knee-high kick on Josh Brownhill tarnished the three points.
Strikes from Leandro Trossard, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko had the Gunners coasting.
And that was even with a controversial Burnley leveller, which VAR checked but didn't deem there to be a foul on Takehiro Tomiyasu.
But with seven minutes to go in the match, second-half substitute Vieira - on the pitch for just 24 minutes - was given his marching orders.
With the ball fizzing around midfield, it looked to be landing between the Portuguese and Brownhill.
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However, in his attempts to fend off his opponent, a spinning Vieira stretched and caught his rival.
“It’s exactly the right decision from Michael Oliver, it’s a really, really silly challenge from Fabio Vieira," Gunners hero Perry Groves told talkSPORT 2.
“He’s gone right over the top of the ball, it’s a straight leg challenge, studs up, gets Josh Brownhill on his knee, Michael Oliver has absolutely no option but to send Fabio Vieira off.
“I think he’s having an identity crisis, he thinks he’s Patrick Vieira. Because it was a ridiculously shocking challenge.
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“It was reckless, it’s dangerous and Michael Oliver had no option whatsoever but to send him off. He didn’t even need VAR!”