TUG WAR OF
Sparky anger after Wilshere shirt-pull sees two sent off ..but not him
MARK HUGHES claimed Jack Wilshere should have seen red during a feisty finish to Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Southampton.
Saints defender Jack Stephens and Gunners midfielder Mohamed Elneny were dismissed late on in incidents sparked by Wilshere grabbing the centre-back’s shirt.
“I think there should have been another one,” said St Mary’s boss Hughes. “I think Wilshere should have been sent off.” Stephens
pushed Wilshere to the ground when he grabbed his jersey and refused to let go, leaving it ripped.
Elneny then got involved in a shoving match with Cedric Soares as the visitors prepared to take the ensuing free-kick and was also ordered off by referee Andre Marriner.
Hughes added: “If you look at it again, Jack Stephens has obviously reacted to being pulled back for about 20 yards, which is understandable.
“It’s not correct, but it’s understandable. But I felt, well, if you’re going to send Jack off, you have to send Wilshere off for bouncing up.
“I thought I saw a definite movement with his knee towards Jack, so the referee should have just seen that.
“Should have sent them both off. Elneny has raised a hand to Cedric’s face, so that’s a sending off, clearly. So maybe there should have been three.”
Third bottom Southampton deserved at least a point at the Emirates, but failed to hold on after Charlie Austin came off the bench to make it 2-2. Danny Welbeck bagged Arsenal’s winner with nine minutes left.
Referring to Austin’s equaliser, Hughes said: “At that point, you need to have that clarity of thought in terms of making sure you take something out of the game.”
Austin refused to accept Saints were doomed. He said: “Last week I definitely didn’t see a path but today I did. We all have to stick together now and go to war. If we do we can definitely stay in this league.”