Steve Cooper struggled to conceal his frustration after Leicester City were denied a crucial point by Arsenal, who scored two late goals to snatch a dramatic victory.
The Foxes had battled hard and were just minutes away from securing a well-earned draw at the Emirates Stadium, only to be undone in stoppage time.
Cooper was left fuming over key refereeing decisions, particularly in the build-up to Arsenal’s first goal and a controversial incident involving Riccardo Calafiori. He felt his side were hard done by as they fought valiantly to stay in the game.
“I don’t want to make the headlines around referees, because I’m trying to take responsibility for a team trying to do better in the Premier League,” Cooper said in his post-match interview.
“But it’s a clear foul on Jamie Vardy for the first goal and the left-back has to get sent off for a second yellow. There’s so much more we could say. The whole game knows, but I’m not going down that road today.”
The drama didn’t stop there. Arsenal’s Kai Havertz had a late goal ruled out for offside, only for VAR to overturn the decision and confirm the goal, leaving Leicester empty-handed at the final whistle.
The Premier League later explained the reasoning behind the VAR decision, stating that the ball had been played to Havertz by Leicester defender James Justin, not by an Arsenal player.
The Premier League Match Centre, via X (formerly Twitter), explained: “Havertz’s goal was disallowed for offside on-field. The VAR checked and confirmed that the ball was played to Havertz by the defender and recommended that the goal was awarded.”
It was a rollercoaster match for both sides. Arsenal appeared to be in full control as they took a 2-0 lead into half-time, with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on the scoresheet. At that stage, it seemed like a routine afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s side against a winless Leicester.
However, the second half told a different story. James Justin halved the deficit just two minutes after the restart, and he struck again in the 63rd minute with a brilliant volley to bring the Foxes level at 2-2.
Leicester’s efforts to hold on were heroic, with goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and his defence keeping Arsenal at bay. But disaster struck in stoppage time, as Wilfred Ndidi inadvertently deflected an Arsenal corner into his own net, sending the Emirates into raptures. Havertz’s goal moments later only added to Leicester’s misery.
The result sees Arsenal move up to second in the Premier League, level on points with Manchester City, who dropped points against Newcastle earlier in the day.