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Arsenal rang in the new year by becoming inaugural members of an incredibly exclusive Premier League club during their 2-1 defeat to runaway leaders Manchester City at the Emirates.
The Gunners went 1-0 up through Bukayo Saka only to concede twice in the second half, one goal on either side of a red card for defender Gabriel. The Brazilian centre-back was booked for dissent after the award of a VAR penalty to City, and then shown a second booking on the hour mark after bluntly buffeting namesake and compatriot Gabriel Jesus to the ground on the half-way line.
The untimely dismissal not only derailed the Gunners’ efforts on the day but also saw the club become the first and only side in Premier League history to amass 100 red cards in total.
Indeed, Arsenal sit proudly atop the all-time card table, narrowly above Everton (99 reds), Newcastle United (90) and Chelsea (82).
Man City are seventh on the overall list with 72 reds while Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur (eighth with 69 reds) and Manchester United (ninth with 68) are also included in the top 10.
– Olley: Arsenal’s two minutes of chaos
Including Gabriel‘s faux pas against City, Arsenal have now seen 11 players sent off since coach Mikel Arteta took charge of his first game on Boxing Day 2019. No other Premier League side has had more players dismissed in that time frame, with the closest contenders being Southampton (seven reds).
Amazingly just six players are responsible for amassing 11 red cards during Arteta’s tenure, with David Luiz alone accounting for almost a third of them having been sent off three times under the Spaniard.
In that same period of time, Tottenham have seen just four players shown a red card, Manchester United have had three, and Liverpool have only had one.
It’s perhaps also worth noting that Sean Dyche’s Burnley — regularly chastised for being one of the most physical and aggressive teams in the top flight — are the only team in the entire division never to have had a single player sent off during Arteta’s reign in charge at the Emirates.
Here’s a closer look at the 11 red cards (comprising of nine straight reds and two second yellows) administered to Arsenal players in Premier League games since Dec. 26, 2019.
Aubameyang was shown a straight red card after a VAR intervention for a mistimed, lunging challenge that saw the Gabon forward crunching his studs into the standing ankle of Palace midfielder Max Meyer.
2. David Luiz vs. Chelsea (Jan. 21, 2020)
Luiz’s big return to Stamford Bridge lasted just 25 minutes before he was sent off in calamitous fashion for bundling over Tammy Abraham while through on goal after the Chelsea striker had latched onto a farcical Shkodran Mustafi back-pass.
3. David Luiz vs. Man City (June 17, 2020)
After his blunder allowed Raheem Sterling in to score City’s opening goal, Luiz secured back-to-back reds just a few minutes later when the haphazard defender conceded a penalty for bringing down Riyad Mahrez.
Perhaps one of the club’s more unlikely recipients, nimble striker Nketiah was shown a fairly harsh red for accidentally clattering into full-back James Justin while stretching to control a loose ball just three minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Arsenal’s record signing was shown a straight red card against Leeds last season after VAR spotted the Ivory Coast international winger turning and butting heads with Ezgjan Alioski in an off-the-ball incident.
6. Granit Xhaka vs. Burnley (Dec. 13, 2020)
Having already been stripped of the club captaincy under Arteta the previous season over a litany of disciplinary breaches, Xhaka did his dwindling reputation no favours with yet another red card against Burnley. The Swiss midfielder began by riling the opposition by flying into a needless body-check on Dwight McNeil before ultimately seeing red for grabbing at the neck of midfielder Ashley Westwood during the ensuing fracas,
7. Gabriel vs. Southampton (Dec. 16, 2020)
The first of Gabriel’s reds for the Gunners bears strong similarities with his most recent effort, with the Brazilian getting himself booked twice in the space of just four minutes against the Saints. The decisive infringement came when Gabriel tangled with Theo Walcott on the half-way line, clumsily bringing down the former Arsenal winger as he attempted to turn away.
The third and final installment of the Luiz triptych came early in 2021 when the Brazilian conceded a penalty mere seconds before half-time for tripping Willian Jose while the Wolves forward was hurtling through on goal, only to be flashed a straight red card for his troubles. It was the first of two dismissals suffered by Arsenal that night, with the second coming roughly half an hour later.
9. Bernd Leno vs. Wolves (Feb. 2, 2021)
Already reduced to 10 men, the Gunners were further depleted in the 72nd minute when goalkeeper Bernd Leno suffered a rush of blood to the head, came storming out of his penalty area, leapt into the air and bizarrely handled the ball under minimal pressure. His side went onto lose 2-1 and thus surrender their seven-game unbeaten streak in the league.
10. Granit Xhaka vs. Man City (Aug. 28, 2021)
Xhaka picked up his first red card of the 2021-22 campaign just 35 minutes into his third appearance, when a two-footed lunge on Joao Cancelo ensured an early end to proceedings for the Switzerland international. A man down for the remainder of the game, the Gunners subsequently went on to get drubbed 5-0 at the Etihad.
11. Gabriel vs. Man City (Jan. 1, 2022)
Gabriel was shown a second yellow against City for bodily obstructing an attacker as he attempted to turn and charge on the halfway line. Rather than Walcott, this time it was Jesus — but the result was exactly the same.