It can only be assumed that Mings had a lapse in concentration and thought he had been rolled the ball to take the goal-kick himself.
But referee Tobias Stieler stuck to the letter of the law and pointed to the spot, a decision that cost Villa all three points as Brugge captain Hans Vanaken converted the resulting penalty to score the only goal of the game.
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Former Premier League referee and SunSport columnist Mark Halsey gives his verdict on the controversial decision that marred Villa’s defeat to Club Brugge...
Speaking exclusively to SunSport Halsey explained that official Stieler made the right call and said that Aston Villa can have “no complaints whatsoever”.
He said: “We see it week in week out in every league around the globe, where the goalkeeper takes a quick goal kick giving it to the defender, and the defender plays it away.”
Adding: “The referee has no option whatsoever to to give that penalty because the ball is in play and it’s a it’s a schoolboy error by by Tyrone Mings.
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“It’s just unbelievable for a player of his calibre to do what he did in the second half.
Arsenal star Gabriel got away with a similar incident in last season’s Champions LeagueCredit: TNT SPORTS
‘Career threatening!’ Ex-Prem ref reacts to Martinez’s tackle on Cole Palmer in Man Utd vs Chelsea | The Whistleblower, Mark Halsey
The Brazilian defender was let off the hook that night with Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg saying that it was a “kid’s mistake” that wasn’t in the spirit of the game to punish a team for.
Halsey reckons you can feel sorry for Mings, but the decision ultimately has to be a penalty by the letter of the law.
He added: “Tyrone Mings needs to have a look at himself and ask himself, What on earth was I doing?
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“Listen, yes. You do feel a little bit for him, but they’re professional footballers. They should know the laws of the game.
“And as I say It’s a quick goal kick and, once the goal kick has been taken the ball is in play.
“So, as I said before, Aston Villa could have no complaints at the award of a penalty by the referee.”
Villa players also found themselves complaining that the referee hadn’t blown his whistle to restart play yet, but Halsey has clarified there’s no substance in that argument either.
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He explained: “The referee doesn’t need to blow his whistle in that situation to restart play. It’s just ‘away we go’.”
Villa’s defeat knocked them off their perch in Europe and ended their 100% start to the Champions League this season.
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Unai Emery labelled Mings’ gaffe as the ‘biggest mistake I witnessed in my career’Credit: Getty
Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his anticipated entry to promotion when he takes on all-time middleweight finishes and submissions record holder Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at the UFC Apex (ESPN+).
“Finally, after all these years of talking about the top guys, to finally be close to getting them is very cool,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 247 media day. “The most important this is Gerald first. It’s a very cool matchup. It’s cool that it’s here. … Let’s see what I can do.”
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At 34, time is of the essence for de Ridder. He said he feels fresh and healthy after lots of time off during his final years under the ONE Championship banner, and is keen to “make up for lost time” now that he’s in the UFC.
In order to get the opportunities he wants, though, de Ridder knows he can’t scrape by with a win. He needs to do something emphatic against Meerschaert, and that is exactly his intentions.
“A win is not enough – the top dogs finished Gerald and I want to prove I’m one of them,” de Ridder said. “To be honest, if I can ever get close to one of the records he holds, it would be amazing. So cool to see him fight, I’ve always watched his fights and that’s a great thing for this fight as well. There’s so much tape to study. He has so much fights. He has a really difficult style.
“The ways he finishes fights, there’s a few things he’s very dangerous at, there’s a few things he does that I think I can really capitalize as well. But it’s a great matchup. I’m very happy that they’ve given me him for my first fight because he’s a veteran, he’s a real name and I think if I can put a stamp on this one, I have some leverage to start calling out some bigger names.”
Champions League analyst Stephen Warnock reacts to Tyrone Mings’ ‘bizarre’ handball that gifted Club Brugge their winning penalty in a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa in the Champions League.
MIKEL ARTETA was left seething with the officials after Arsenal were sunk at the San Siro after a tale of TWO penalties.
The Gunners boss raged over Hakan Calhanoglu’s first half spot-kick for a controversial handball against Mikel Merino that earned Inter Milan a famous Champions League victory.
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Mikel Arteta was left seething with the officials after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Inter MilanCredit: Getty
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Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer appeared to punch Mikel Merino in the head, but Arsenal were not awarded a penaltyCredit: AFP
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Inter’s goal came from controversial handball decision involving Merino as wellCredit: TNT SPORTS
And Arteta then argued his side deserved to have a penalty of their own “one thousand percent” after Merino was PUNCHED by Inter keeper Yann Sommer in the head.
Arteta said: “We were very harshly done. I don’t understand [Inter’s penalty]. It is a deflection. There is no danger, no reaction because it is very close to his body.
“There is nothing he can do. I don’t know how you can get away from it.
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“We were told at the start of the season that was not going to be a penalty but it was a different story.
“But if that is a penalty then when Merino is punched in the head it is one thousand percent a penalty. It is very difficult to accept that.”
Arsenal legend and TNT pundit Martin Keown said: “It was a controversial moment. Fine margins. I don’t believe it was a penalty and I feel it was really harsh.
“Where are you supposed put your arm in that position? Who’s made these rules? Have they played the game?
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“Mikel Merino is so close and the arm has come up to go into a challenge. It is really harsh.
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Martin Keown gave his thoughts on the controversial refereeing decisionsCredit: Rex
Martin Keown’s assessment
Here’s a look at what Arsenal hero Martin Keown made of the referee’s decisions…
On Yann Sommer clashing with Mikel Merino…
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“You can see there is a follow-through. On another night the referee might see that as a violent act.
“He [referee Istvan Kovacs] was levelling it up and dishing it out to players, but he didn’t level up on penalties.
“The one against Arsenal is really harsh.”
On the penalty decision…
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“It was a controversial moment. Fine margins. I don’t believe it was a penalty and I feel it was really harsh.
“Where are you supposed put your arm in that position? Who’s made these rules? Have they played the game?
“Mikel Merino is so close to Mehdi Taremi and the arm has come up to go into a challenge – it is really harsh.
“Merino is preparing to go with his first action and then the ball deflects.”
Merino is preparing to go with his first action and then the ball deflects.”
On Sommer’s connection with Merino, Keown added: “You can see there is a follow-through. On another night the referee might see that as a violent act.
Thierry Henry aims huge dig at Arsenal in awkward CBS Sports moment as fans ask ‘why are you s***ting on your own club?
“He [referee Istvan Kovacs] was levelling it up and dishing it out to players, but he didn’t level up on penalties.”
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Arteta confirmed that Merino was taken off at half time as a result of that collision with Sommer, admitting he did not feel well before kick-off and was left “groggy”.
Arsenal have now lost three of their last six games in all competitions as their poor run continues both in the Premier League and in Europe.
But the visitors had their chances, attempting 20 shots, their most without scoring in a Champions League game since November 2006 against CSKA Moscow.
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Arteta added: “I’m very proud of my players. If we play like we did tonight we can win at Chelsea.
“With the number of situations we created we should have scored.
“But that was more us tonight, we dominated one of the best teams in Europe in their stadium, I’m proud of them.
“The worst thing of the night is the result, the performance, attitude, the dominance against one of the best teams in Europe, I haven’t seen it in the games I watched.
“We had many situations we could have resolved much better and scored at least two goals and we are extremely frustrated – in both boxes we did not do what we have to do.”
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Mikel Merino was substituted at half-time after feeling ‘groggy’ from the collisionCredit: PA
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Kai Havertz is a doubt for Arsenal’s trip to Stamford Bridge after requiring stitches after a clash of headsCredit: Getty
Arsenal player ratings v Inter Milan
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TOOTHLESS Arsenal were beaten by a superb Italian job in Milan as they lost 1-0 thanks to a controversial penalty.
Here’s how the Gunners stars were rated by SunSport’s Tony Robertson.
David Raya – 6
Unfortunate with the penalty on an otherwise quiet night. Passing was below par with on three out of nine long passes finding their mark.
Ben White – 7
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Dependable as ever at right back. Can’t be blamed for the defeat from a defensive standpoint.
William Saliba – 7
Marshalled defence well and produced some strong passes. Three clearances and six duels won said everything about his performance.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7
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Had a slightly better time in duels than Saliba but was worse on the ball.
Jurrien Timber – 7
Had a good rapport with Martinelli down the left flank. Dependable but undone by the controversial penalty call.
Mikel Merino – 5
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Difficult to see what he brings to the midfield at the moment. Clearly Arteta likes his height and strength, but not on the same wavelength as team-mates tonight. Unlucky to give away the penalty.
Thomas Partey – 6
Should have been given more licence to roam forward in the second half. But didn’t look like he had the legs to do that job.
Bukayo Saka – 6
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Captain for the night with Odegaard only fit for the bench. Saka was always a threat, but all too often or not chose the wrong option to go inside or out.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7
Flashes of brilliance and a thorn throughout the clash. Created four chances but team-mates were unable to help him out.
Kai Havertz – 6
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Couple of flashes of brilliance, including a beautiful curled effort at goal that forced Sommer to punch clear, but needed to be a stronger force up top. Went off with a bloody head in injury time.
Leandro Trossard – 6
Buzzed around and had threatening moments. But just didn’t get the ball enough in dangerous positions.
LAS VEGAS – Carlos Prates is on the verge of UFC stardom, or so it seems to some.
If activity is any indicator, the UFC thinks so, too. Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is booked for his fourth promotional fight in 10 months, Saturday when he headlines UFC Fight Night 247 against Neil Magny (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC).
The bout is Prates’ first UFC main event and he’s excited about the opportunity.
“I had a fight against Randy Brown on Nov. 16 in New York,” Prates told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. I was really happy with that opportunity to fight in Madison Square Garden on the same day as Jon Jones. But he said something that he’d fight me Dec. 7. I did not understand why. Then, the UFC gave me the fight against Neil Magny on the main event and I was really excited.”
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Initially, Prates admits the prospect of fighting at Madison Square Garden far outweighed any other possibilities he could think of. But the moment his manager Lucas Lutkus told him of the offer on the table, his attitude changed in an instant.
“I was in the gym,” Prates said. “(Lutkus) said, ‘You aren’t going to fight Randy Brown, but you have a new opponent one week before.’ I was like, ‘No way. I don’t want to fight one week before.’ He said, ‘Oh, it’s the main event against Neil Magny.’ I was like, ‘Of course. Let’s go. Let’s go. It’s a really good opportunity.
“… It’s better. I think Randy Brown is an easier fight than Neil Magny. He is much easy money. But you know the main event, we get the bonus to fight the main event, more money and also the main events are the biggest shows in the world. I think it’s a better change.”
The rise up the welterweight ladder has been a quick one for Prates, who will likely enter the UFC rankings if he wins Saturday. Prates credits his finishing abilities for the fast ascent.
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“I asked for the fight because I finish the fights really fast,” Prates said. “I think it’s the main reason, you know? I always finish the fight, and then I fight in two months or something like that. I ask to fight somebody when they do an interview in the octagon.”
Should he win, Prates thinks he’ll be two or three fights away from a UFC title shot. He wants to fight in February at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, then compete twice more to round out the year – a bit slower of a pace, but a necessary one to heal up some nagging injuries.
“I have been training so hard, and to be honest, I’m going to fight Neil Magny on Saturday, and then I’m looking for a fight in Australia in February,” Prates said. “Then, I’ll take a little break to take care of my body, my health. It’s good also that I’m keeping training and fighting. It’s good also. But now it’s time to, like I say, to think with my brain, not with my heart.”
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