Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have backed an Arsenal player after he faced severe criticism on Saturday.
The Gunners picked up a comfortable 3-0 against Bournemouth at the Emirates this weekend.
Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Declan Rice scored to give the North Londoners a comfortable win and keep them at the top of the Premier League standings.
There was a lot of controversy about one incident that happened during the game on Saturday. Lineker and Shearer have now given their verdict.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer in agreement over Kai Havertz penalty incident
Kai Havertz, an Arsenal player, has made a lot of headlines in the previous two days.
This season, the Germany international has emerged as a key figure for Arsenal. His performances as a centre forward have been spectacular in recent months.
Havertz delivered an outstanding effort against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The former Chelsea star gave the Cherries plenty of difficulties with his mobility and aggressiveness, and he was one of the finest players on the pitch at the Emirates.
However, one instance brought Havertz into the spotlight.
The Arsenal player was pulled down inside the area by Bournemouth custodian Mark Travers, resulting in a penalty kick. The referee was confident he had been fouled.
nonetheless many individuals have criticised Havertz and even accused him of simulation. Jamie O’Hara was furious with the German for initiating the contact and then going down.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both spoke out about the incident and are certain that it was a penalty. They accused Travers of making a’stupid’ challenge and said that Havertz had every right to withdraw after making contact.
Lineker stated on the Rest Is Football podcast, “That was a penalty. If you look at it at regular speed, the goalie comes out rashly and utterly misses the ball; why should the center-forward jump out of the way of him?”
Shearer then asserted, “If the keeper is dumb enough to say that, you are inviting contact. The forward does not need to jump over him. Gary is totally correct. Why does he have to jump over him?
“He can keep his foot there and make contact. I thought that was a ridiculous challenge by the custodian.
Kai Havertz’s stats vs Bournemouth are extraordinary
Several Arsenal players delivered outstanding performances against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Declan Rice was voted Player of the Match after the game for his goal and assist, and one might argue that he deserved it.
However, Kai Havertz couldn’t have been far off.
In his 90 minutes on the pitch, Havertz had 55 ball touches and three crucial passes. He made four tackles and won eight of his nine ground duels.
SofaScore rated Havertz’s performance on Saturday as 8.6/10, higher than any other player in the game.
To have such a high rating as a striker in a game in which you did not score or assist is just incredible, and it demonstrates how excellent Havertz was over the weekend.
