Manchester City fans can breathe easy after it was confirmed that Erling Haaland will not face any retrospective punishment for an incident during City’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
The Norwegian striker headed the ball towards Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes but the Football Association (FA) decided no further action would be taken.
A spectacular draw without any added suspense for Haaland
In a fiery game at the Etihad Stadium, City got a late equaliser through John Stones in the 98th minute.
Haaland had opened the scoring earlier, scoring his 100th goal for the reigning Premier League champions. But the game took a wild turn as Arsenal, already a player down after Leandro Trossard was sent off, battled to protect a slender lead.
When Stones equalised late on, the game looked set for drama. But after celebrating, Haaland picked up the ball and fired it at Gabriel’s head.
The Arsenal defender, his shirt over his face, didn’t see it coming. Even though it seemed like a critical moment, no action was taken on the pitch.
VAR saves City’s situation
Manchester City fans might have been worried about a possible sanction for Haaland after the match, but the FA quickly put all those concerns to rest.
Given that all incidents, including Haaland’s throw, were reviewed by VAR during the match, the disciplinary team confirmed that no further action would be taken.
It seems Haaland didn’t just avoid defenders this time around: he also avoided a potential ban! So while Arsenal may have come away with a point, City fans can take comfort in the knowledge that their star striker will once again be ready to lead the line in the next game.
