Arsenal are facing an FA charge over their celebrations following their dramatic winner against Bournemouth.
Football Association chiefs are reviewing referee Chris Kavanagh’s report which includes what happened following Reiss Nelson’s 97th minute winner.
It was one of the most remarkable winning goals of the season as Arsenal fought from 2-0 down to win 3-2 thanks to supersub Nelson’s last gasp goal to keep Mikel Arteta’s team five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal fans enjoyed the last-gasp glory and hailed it as the most memorable moment since moving to the Emirates Stadium. Fans did enter the field of play but it is thought that the FA are looking at the celebrations which involved coaching staff and substitutes who ran onto the pitch to join in.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta ran down the touchline but was not on the pitch during the remarkable scenes. It is believed the FA are looking at the coaching staff in particular as the laws of the game state those in the technical area “must behave in a responsible manner.”
The news is unlikely to please Arsenal fans or indeed club staff who were less than impressed that VAR did not intervene on Bournemouth ’s opening goal which came inside ten seconds. Several Bournemouth players were in the Arsenal half when the visitors kicked-off and used a rehearsed routine which saw Phillip Billing get the opening goal.
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Having been wronged by VAR last month in the draw with Brentford, Arsenal coaching staff were surprised it was not spotted and the officials were not on red alert. Now their intervention on what fans are already dubbing “celebration police” after one of their most memorable moments of the season. It remains to be seen whether they will face any sanction.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was fined £8,000 in 2018 after admitting a misconduct charge for running onto the pitch to celebrate Divok Origi’s winner in a Merseyside derby. Arsenal have already had two FA punishments this season after their goalless draw with Newcastle at the Emirates when Arteta berated officials and also when players surrounded the referee in their FA Cup tie at Oxford in January.
