Erling Haaland’s winner against Arsenal should never have been allowed to stand says a former Gunners hero who explained his reasoning
16:21, 20 Apr 2026Updated 16:57, 20 Apr 2026
Erling Haaland’s goal against Arsenal should have been wiped away, according to a former Gunners star(Image: Getty Images)
Former Arsenal defender Lauren insisted Erling Haaland’s goal ought to have been disallowed in Manchester City’s 2-1 victory while praising his old club for not signing Antoine Semenyo. The Gunners have suffered consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time this campaign after last week’s 2-1 setback against Bournemouth and Sunday’s reverse to City in a damaging blow to their title ambitions.
Pep Guardiola’s side can now climb to the summit if they overcome Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday with just five matches remaining. Yet their triumph at the Etihad Stadium was challenged by Lauren, who argued Haaland’s decisive strike should have been chalked off because he tugged Gabriel’s shirt before finding the net.
The duo have been locked in an on-field battle over recent years, and even clashed physically during Sunday’s compelling encounter, for which they both collected a yellow card. Addressing the City forward’s conduct, the former full-back told CasinoWizard: “For me [Erling] Haaland was the one doing the fouling.
“Then you have to put your body in. You have to try to be strong and don’t lose your balance. But I think it was nothing. Even in the goal that Haaland scored, he pulled his shirt. It should have been a foul and a disallowed goal.
“I mean, have a look at the action properly. I believe that that one was a foul that the referee didn’t see and it changed the game.” One of City’s January additions, Marc Guehi, put in an impressive display on Sunday, while Antoine Semenyo found it difficult to make his mark on the match.
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Despite his below-par showing, the Ghana international has made a strong impression since joining City, netting eight goals in 19 games. However, Lauren insisted there would have been little sense in Arsenal pursuing him in January with Max Dowman already in their ranks.
Semenyo was loosely linked with Arsenal, but the Gunners never entered the transfer race. The former Cameroon international explained: “Why try to sign [Antoine] Semenyo [in January] when we have [Max] Dowman?
Erling Haaland scored the winner in Sunday’s clash(Image: AP)
“There is nothing Semenyo can do that Dowman can’t do the same. Give him some games, give him some confidence and then let him talk. Let him express himself. He has the quality, the intelligence, he can shoot, he can nick passes between the lines.
“Why would Arsenal sign Semenyo? There is more, much more to come from this boy. We have to give him the right confidence. We have to give them the games he needs in order to develop. He’s got everything and he should be in the England squad this summer.
Lauren insisted Arsenal were right in not attempting to sign Antoine Semenyo in January(Image: Getty Images)
“Of course he has to learn. There’s a lot to learn when you start playing 90 minutes consistently. A lot you learn from the changing room. But that’s the only way to do it. You have to play week in week out.”
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