Ray Parlour told talkSPORT Breakfast (15/03/21 at 6:40 am) that he noticed Granit Xhaka winding up Erik Lamela during Arsenal’s win against Tottenham on Sunday.
After scoring a remarkable ‘Rabona’ goal to open the scoring for Spurs, Lamela was then sent off late in the second half as Arsenal went on to secure all three points and the bragging rights of the city.
Xhaka, who is a combative player by nature and an aggressive character, was the only player shown a yellow for Arsenal over the weekend.
Highbury legend Parlour shared that both Lamela and Xhaka are ‘similar sort of players’ in what was another action-packed North London derby.
“He’s (Lamela) a player who plays on the edge,” said Parlour. “Xhaka was winding him up a little bit.
“Xhaka was a certainty to get booked as well, which he did in the end. Another similar sort of player. You have to be a bit more (clever).
“Son was a big loss for them. Lamela came on for him and, of course, he got the goal. Brilliant goal!”
It was a pretty eventful day for Lamela, who wouldn’t know what to think after the final whistle was blown.
Lamela started the game on the bench, and Heung-Min Son’s injury meant that it was an early introduction for the playmaker, who then produced that magic moment.
But throughout his time on the field, Lamela was a yellow card waiting to happen, and whilst he should be applauded for showing fight during a derby match, in the end, he did enough to get himself sent off.
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