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IAN LADYMAN: Mateo Kovacic avoiding a red card became a mere footnote after Arsenal's win but felt like another moment where the system failed... if we want consistency, these coals must be raked over

Related Topics: Michael Oliver, Arsenal

The thing about football results is that they have the capacity to bury good stories.

This one finished with the Emirates lit up by adrenaline and energy. My goodness, they celebrated it in north London and good on them. Arsenal have waited a while to land one on the jaw — or right in the face as Nathan Ake would attest — of Manchester City. When victory came, it meant everything it should.

The story that became a footnote, however, was an important one. Mateo Kovacic and match referee Michael Oliver. What on earth went on there?