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‘It was a clear dive!’ – Thomas Frank furious at Kai Havertz’s winner against Brentford
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank voiced his frustration, claiming that Kai Havertz should have been sent off before scoring the late winner in their 2-1 defeat against Arsenal on Saturday.
Despite Brentford’s resilient performance, Arsenal secured their eighth consecutive Premier League win, propelling them to the top of the standings ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Declan Rice initially put Arsenal in the lead, but Brentford equalized through Yoane Wissa after a costly error from Aaron Ramsdale. Havertz later secured the victory for Arsenal with a late goal.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Frank expressed his pride in Brentford’s display but lamented the manner of their defeat. He suggested that Havertz should have received a second yellow card for diving over a challenge from Nathan Collins, which occurred while Havertz was already on a booking.
“I’m so proud of the team and the players. We’ve come here to Arsenal who have scored 100 goals in I don’t know how many games and we limited them. It was almost a defensive masterclass,” Frank gushed.
“The performance was spot on. Even more impressive if you take into account Arsenal’s form, our form, our injury situation. I actually don’t think Havertz should be on the pitch when he scored. It was a clear dive. Maybe it is difficult for the ref but the linesman should have seen it.
“We are in that spell where we need to fight so hard for things. You need things to go your way, especially things you can’t control like refereeing decisions.
“I’m a big believer that you should celebrate your wins and goals. They clearly respect us and they know we are very good and it meant a lot to them.
“The performance we take out of this is very good. We will take all of the positives and keep on fighting. I told them it was a great performance and that I’m so proud of them. If you get hit in the face then stand up and keep going.”
When speaking to the written press soon after, Frank doubled down on his belief that Havertz should have seen red.
“Havertz is a clear, clear dive. That should of course been a second yellow and a red card and then he wouldn’t have been able to score the winner,” he added.