Former Manchester City and England full-back agrees football is no longer a contact sport after Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea.
In the wake of the thrilling London derby last night there has been much debate over Anthony Taylor’s decision to award Chelsea with a penalty after a coming together between Hector Bellerin and Eden Hazard in the box.
Arsene Wenger described the decision as “farcical” and was evidently furious in his post-match interview. There was clear contact made between the players, but it was the manner in which Hazard theatrically fell to the ground after a minor brush from Bellerin which infuriated the veteran Frenchman.
Wenger’s anger was perhaps heightened due to this being the second debatable penalty decision against the Gunners in a week, with a similar situation having occurred against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Hazard’s penalty cancelled out Arsenal’s advantage just four minutes before Chelsea took the lead for the first time in the game following Marcos Alonso’s 84th-minute effort. Luckily for Arsenal, Bellerin was able to drive home an equaliser in the 92nd to ensure the Gunners had something to show for their efforts.
Following the match former England international Danny Mills had much to say on the controversial penalty, backing referee Anthony Taylor, maintaining that it was a penalty.
“The game has changed massively,” Mills said when discussing the level of contact you can get away with now in the modern game on the BBC’s 5 Live podcast.
The majority of fans calling and tweeting in were in complete disagreement with Mills and could not believe his stance in backing the decision.
In response to a tweet from a fan which read: “Is Danny suggesting football is no longer a contact sport?” Mills agreed, “It is [no longer a contact sport].”
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