Nuno Tavares has been told he will get a "good fine" after "losing his mind" in Marseille's 2-1 Ligue 1 win against Montpellier on Monday night.
Tavares, 22, was sent off after clashing with two rival players in the dying stages of Marseille's victory at the Stade de la Mosson. He was initially booked for kicking out at Arnaud Souquet and pushing Christopher Jullien, which appeared to be a lenient decision.
The Arsenal loanee then appeared to say something to the referee to earn a second yellow card, much to delight of the home fans. Tavares made matters worse when he held up two fingers at the crowd to show the 2-0 scoreline (as it was at the time).
Former Gunners midfielder Matteo Guendouzi urged Tavares to leave the pitch quickly but his petulance continued. The referee was then advised to watch incident again and revoked Tavares' two yellow cards for one red card, which will mean a longer suspension.
Marseille boss Igor Tudor was furious with Tavares' indiscipline and made his feelings known at full-time. He told reporters: "He lost his mind and will get a good fine. These are things that happen, of course. He will learn a lesson for the future."
It was a disappointing end to the night for Tavares, who opened the scoring in the 47th minute with a brilliant strike. Maxime Esteve's own goal made it 2-0 to Marseille before Tavares' red card almost cost the visitors, as Teji Tedy Savanier's late penalty made it 2-1.
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In the end, Marseille held on for the win to move up to third in Ligue 1 - just eight points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal fans will be disappointed to hear about Tavares' behaviour after his mini-revival in France.
Tudor appears to have got the best out of Tavares by playing him at left-wing-back, as he's scored five goals in 16 Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille this season. He still has two-and-a-half years remaining on his Arsenal deal and is set to return to the Emirates in June.
Tudor has been impressed by Tavares' progress and will be hoping Monday night's antics were a one-off. Speaking in October, the Marseille boss said: "He [Tavares] is a good boy, professional, a bit shy off the pitch but not on the pitch.
"He is very young, he already has a lot of qualities. It can still grow on the decisions and the choices. He will then become one of the strongest in the world."
Arsenal signed Tavares from Benfica in July 2021. He struggled during his first season in England - playing 28 games in all competitions - and was memorably subbed off after just 34 minutes of an FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest 12 months ago.
Tavares reacted angrily to that decision and Mikel Arteta decided to send the youngster out on loan after signing Oleksandr Zinchenko in the summer. With Kieran Tierney also on Arsenal's books, Tavares may struggle to get back into the fold next term.
