Michael Oliver made a mistake in Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal VAR could do nothing about - opinion

Michael Oliver was tasked with officiating a hectic encounter on Sunday as Manchester City drew 2-2 against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.

The 39-year-old opted to hand Leandro Trossard a second yellow card at the end of the first half for kicking the ball away, while he also had to deal with a number of aggressive clashes between the likes of Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes in the second half.

However, there was one mistake Michael Oliver made before he dismissed Trossard, which VAR could do nothing about…

What Michael Oliver got wrong in Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal

In our view, the man from Ashington made an error when allowing Arsenal to play the quick freekick which led to Riccardo Calafiori making it 1-1 in the 22nd minute.

Oliver waved Kyle Walker over to deliver a warning to the England international, but did not allow the Manchester City No.2 to get back into position before restarting the game.

Arsenal then took advantage of the space through Gabriel Martinelli, who teed up Calafiori to curl home a stunning goal – his first for Arsenal.

Of course, Arsenal should be praised for their quick thinking, but after dragging Walker over for a chat near the centre circle – roughly 45 yards from his position on the right of defence- Oliver really ought to have delayed the restart for a few seconds more.

Given the fact it was a simple freekick – and there are no rules against those taking place – VAR could do nothing to intervene.

There was also a freak clash between Kai Havertz and Rodri just four seconds into the game – which VAR had a close look at, but decided no wrongdoing had taken place.

What Gary Neville said about Kyle Walker incident

Gary Neville also noticed what Oliver did.

Speaking live on commentary duty for Sky Sports, the 49-year-old said: “He’s pulled him out of position but not allowed him to get back. I would be annoyed.”

It was a debate which continued beyond the final whistle, with Pep Guardiola even referencing the incident in his post match interview, saying: “I admire my team. My team started well after interruptions for many things, and after the first goal (with) the referee asking the captains (Walker and Bukayo Saka) to talk.”

Next time, nobody can blame the Manchester City players for refusing to walk many yards for a chat with the referee, as they will surely be wary of a repeat of this very moment.