Tottenham, Arsenal and Man Utd face suspension threat ahead of Premier League games

Three players from Manchester United, Tottenham, and Arsenal are teetering on the brink of a one-match suspension in the Premier League due to yellow card accumulation. According to Premier League regulations, a player who amasses five yellow cards in the initial 19 league matches faces a one-game ban in the same competition.

Currently, thirteen players are on four bookings in the Premier League, including Bruno Fernandes from United, Yves Bissouma from Spurs, and Arsenal’s Kai Havertz.

There’s contention around Havertz, who some believe evaded a red card against Newcastle after a robust challenge on Sean Longstaff. His tackle, arriving off the ground with visible studs, fortunately made contact with Longstaff’s trailing leg, avoiding a more severe sanction.

Post the incident, Anthony Gordon, Fabian Schar, and Longstaff, who received the challenge, were all cautioned for contesting the decision of referee Stuart Attwell. However, ex-Premier League official Dermot Gallagher stated that the referee and the VAR team reviewing the challenge made the correct call. He pointed out Havertz’s luck in avoiding a red card but expressed concerns about his persistent reckless challenges. “If he had received a red card, he couldn’t have complained,” he mentioned to Sky Sports.

Gallagher highlighted the similarity between this and a prior instance involving Mateo Kovacic a few weeks ago, indicating that the referee extended the benefit of the doubt to Havertz, saving him from expulsion. He emphasized that Havertz’s tackle was unpleasant but credited his luck with the way the contact was made. However, Gallagher questioned how Havertz managed to complete the game despite the challenge