Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha was left incensed by Matteo Guendouzi’s tackle on him during the closing stages of the match at The Emirates Stadium this weekend. Roy Hodgson’s side fought their way back from 2-0 down to earn a draw but their Ivorian winger, who was the subject of an Arsenal bid in the summer was far from happy with a challenge that would have just about been acceptable on an American Football field.
Shortly after the match had concluded, Zaha took to social media to share his dissatisfaction at the challenge and referee Martin Atkinson’s decision to only caution the 20-year-old Frenchman.
NFL’s at Wembley… ????? pic.twitter.com/QOkyetV1dh
— Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) October 27, 2019
Zaha, perhaps in jest, made reference to the NFL game that took place at Wembley Stadium over the weekend and his tweet sparked lots of debate on the social media platform. It was no secret that 26-year-old wanted to join the Gunners in the summer and the Arsenal fans wasted no time in reminding him of that fact in the replies.
Wilf that’s your future captain your talking to there mate..
— Red White Gooner ??? (@RedWhite_Gooner) October 28, 2019
salty cos we chose Pepe and not you.
— Halls of Marble (@Marblehalls_TV) October 27, 2019
Others mocked Zaha for what they felt was a dive in the first half to earn his side a spot kick.
Any comment on diving Wilf , very theatrical . It’s the best part of your game .
— Pan (@Pantastic1761) October 27, 2019
Guendouzi just wanted a hug for his new teammate and that’s how you react Wilf?
— Aubazettes (@Aubazettes) October 27, 2019
Just giving you a welcome hug for when you arrive in Jan buddy ???
— ???North London Is Red??? (@AFC_Addict_101) October 27, 2019
You diving for touchdowns mate
— Bergkamp & Bergkamp (@Orangeiceman10) October 27, 2019
What do we think?
There’s no question about it, it was a foul and a clear attempt to cheat by Matteo Guendouzi. The France international knew exactly what he was doing when he launched himself into Zaha in a desperate attempt to prevent the Crystal Palace forward breaking through and potentially winning the game for the visitors.
Having said that, as deliberate an action as it was – had the referee reached for his back pocket and brandished the red card it would have been harsh. It’s not a leg-breaker or necessarily endangering an opponent but a blatant act of cheating nonetheless.