Arsenal fans are furious about forward Nicolas Jackson escaping a card after stepping on Takehiro Tomiyasu’s foot in the rescheduled match of Premier League round 29.

While Arsenal was leading 1-0 in the match on the evening of April 23 at the Emirates Stadium, Jackson charged towards Tomiyasu to contest the ball. Subsequently, the Chelsea forward stamped forcefully on the Arsenal defender’s foot, causing his opponent to writhe in pain on the ground. However, the away team’s forward was not penalized.

“VAR is sleeping. It’s awful,” an Arsenal fan wrote on social media platform X.

Some other spectators believed that Jackson’s stamping was intentional. Therefore, they firmly argued that the Chelsea player deserved a red card, or at least a yellow card. “What the hell is your bloody reason?” one person tagged the English Football Association’s Referees’ Association and asked.

The incident became even more frustrating when Arsenal striker Leandro Trossard received a yellow card for the same mistake. Many fans believe that Trossard’s error is less dangerous than Jackson’s.

Famous player Rio Ferdinand was also surprised at the way the referee and VAR team handled the matter. He said this season there have been many fouled tackles, though not as bad as Jackson’s. “I really hope they (the referees) come here and explain to me,” Ferdinand said on TNT Sports.

Another former midfielder, Martin Keown, has a similar view. He further noted that when complaining to the referee about the decision to penalize Trossard, coach Mikel Arteta even received a yellow card.

In this match, Trossard shot into the near corner to open the score for Arsenal in the 4th minute. After that, Chelsea tried to control the ball, but could not prevent the advantage from favoring the “Gunners”. In the 52nd minute, Ben White scored a penalty that decided the fate of the London derby. Next, Kai Havertz scored two consecutive goals for his former team in the 57th and 65th minutes. In the 70th minute, Ben White sealed the 5-0 victory with a deflected cross that flew into the top corner.

After this victory, Arsenal continues to lead the Premier League with 77 points through 34 matches. They created a three-point gap with Liverpool and four points with Man City. However, the two teams behind have only played 33 and 32 matches.