The whistle pierced through the tension in the air.
Arsenal's players stopped mid-motion—then surged forward in a wave of fury.
Izan lay near the edge of the halfway line, face down, one hand curled into the turf.
A Villa defender hovered nearby, wide-eyed and pleading innocence, while the Villa Park erupted with rage from the away end.
"That's a blatant foul!" the commentator declared sharply. "Izan was clean through—Villa may have just dodged a red here."
Odegaard was the first on the scene, storming toward the referee with both arms flung wide.
"That's a red, no doubt! He was the last man!"
Jesus wasn't far behind. "He didn't even go for the ball!"
Rice who had seen it from behind pointed at the exact patch of grass where the foul occurred, the studs visible from the force that had shoved Izan down.
"That's deliberate! That's not a yellow offense!"
The referee, standing firm, calmly waved the players back.
