Silva in rant over bias for big clubs

FULHAM boss Marco Silva believes the Premier League’s clampdown on timewasting is protecting the ‘big clubs’, as he branded Calvin Bassey’s sending-off a ‘joke’.

The defender received a yellow card by referee Paul Tierney after taking too long at a goal kick. He was dismissed for a second caution, blocking Eddie Nketiah at a counter-attack.

Silva said: ‘The first yellow card for Calvin is a joke, and, of course, we understand the new circumstances. They are taking all the emotion from the game because it is going to protect the big clubs because you have to see consistency in the decisions.

‘For sure, if you play for Fulham, or for other clubs, and take 10 to15 seconds to take a throw-in or a goal kick, it will be a yellow card. A player will always be under pressure because if you make a foul, it will be a second yellow card.

‘For the other clubs it is not the same. If you see one of the first throw-ins for Partey, he took much more time than Calvin at the goal kick. It was not a yellow card. Why? It is always going to be not the big clubs who suffer more. We knew this was going to happen.’

Fulham ended up clawing the game back to 2-2 after Joao Palhinha’s 87th-minute strike.

It was second-half goals from Bukayo Saka and substitute Eddie Nketiah within three minutes which put the Gunners ahead.

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, said: ‘If I compare the game that we played against Fulham this season and last season, we were 10 times better. At least 10.

‘We were much better than last season. Last season we won 2-1 in the last minute.

‘Today we drew 2-2.’