Arsenal played Manchester United on Thursday evening and it’s fair to say this was a controversial match owing to Emile Smith Rowe’s opening goal.
Smith Rowe netted a volley from 20 yards, and while you’d usually call it a great strike, this goal was controversial due to the fact David De Gea was down injured.
The Spaniard had taken a knock from the corner and went down with an injury, but play went on and Arsenal scored immediately afterwards.
As you can imagine, this sparked a lot of controversy about sportsmanship and whether or not the goal should have stood.
One man who was the epitome of sportsmanship throughout his career was Gary Lineker, and he’s given his view on the goal.
Lineker believes the goal was legitimate, and, to be honest, we have to agree with him.
Yes, De Gea was down, but it’s not Arsenal’s fault he got injured, and as many pundits said on the night, the Spaniard was back on his feet within seconds of the goal going in, so perhaps if he were a bit braver, he would have saved Smith Rowe’s strike.
It’s certainly a strange situation that has divided opinion, but Lineker knows better than most what it means to be a good sport. After all, this is a striker who was never booked throughout his playing career.
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