‘Madness’ – Arsenal star Rob Holding SENT OFF against Tottenham after elbowing Son Heung-min moments after ‘WWE move’
ARSENAL defender Rob Holding helped blow the race for the top four wide open after being SENT OFF in just 33 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham.
A cynical elbow on Son Heung-min saw the defender given his marching orders for a second yellow card.
Gary Neville summed up the incident as "madness" while on commentary duty for Sky Sports.
It wasn't the first time the pair had been caught in a tangle on the night.
Holding's evening got off to the worst possible start when he was the butt of the jokes on social media for wrestling Son to the ground.
One user wrote "Holding thinks he's auditioning for WWE" as he dragged Son to the floor and manhandled him on the deck after being beaten by the South Korean.
Read More On Arsenal
Mark Halsey's view
ROB HOLDING can have no complaints over his first half red card for two cautions.
The Arsenal defender received his first yellow card for persistent infringement on Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.
But Holding’s second yellow in the 33rd minute could easily have been a red card had referee Paul Tierney deemed it was violent conduct rather than a reckless use of the arm into Son’s face.
Tierney did the centre-back a big favour because a straight red would have resulted in a three-match ban rather than missing just the one game for two yellows.
I didn’t like Harry Kane’s reaction when he urged Tierney to show a red card.
The England captain shouldn’t be doing that and he must leave the ref alone to make those calls.
Tierney was also in a great position when he awarded Spurs a penalty after 22 minutes when Cedric barged Son at the back post.
It was a subjective decision and had Tierney not pointed to the spot then VAR would not have got involved.
Jamie Redknapp was also left baffled by the incident, saying in the Sky studio at half-time: "He was doing Judo moves on a football field."
Holding escaped a booking that first occasion, but was shown a yellow card just minutes later for an almost carbon-copy offence.
Then on 33 minutes the defender was sent for an early shower following an elbow - with Son yet again on the receiving end.
Tottenham eventually ran out 3-0 winners to blow the race for the top four wide open.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS - BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Harry Kane scored twice and Son Heung-min struck just after half-time in a famous win for Antonio Conte's side.
A fuming Mikel Arteta was adamant Holding should not have seen red, but bit his tongue in post-match interviews.
The Arsenal boss said: "I cannot give you an honest assessment because I will be suspended for a long time. I like to be honest and I cannot give an honest assessment.
"I am so proud of my players, this game is gone, we've lost it, we accept it. We move to Newcastle.
"The decision was made and this game is gone."
Opposite number Antonio Conte, however, couldn't see what the fuss was about.
He said: "It was very clear both situations.
"Usually when you lose it is normal to complain. Holding deserved to take a yellow card before and the referee decided to wait a bit. Son against Holding was a really tough day for him."
Frustrated Arteta also saw his other centre-back, Gabriel, limp off injured.
With just two games left, Arsenal are now a point in front of their rivals.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
The Gunners travel to in-form Newcastle on Monday night before playing Everton at the Emirates on the final day.
Tottenham host Burnley on Sunday and then have to travel to Norwich.