The Football Association of England (FA) are investigating Arsenal’s celebrations following Reiss Nelson’s dramatic goal that sealed a 3-2 win over Bournemouth in stoppage time.
The result saw the Gunners move five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Philip Billing handed the Cherries a perfect start as he ghosted into Arsenal’s box and handed the visitors the lead after just nine seconds. It was the second quickest goal scored in Premier League history.
Marcos Senesi doubled Bournemouth’s lead just before the hour-mark, leaving the Gunners with a mountain to climb. And they did climb it.
Thomas Partey handed Arsenal a lifeline, bundling in a headed pass from Emile Smith Rowe to make it 2-1. Substitutes Ben White and Reiss Nelson then stole the show as the latter assisted the former, with goal-line technology confirming the ball had crossed the line. Nelson then sent the Emirates Stadium into raptures with a crisp strike to win the game in the dying embers.
You can watch how the goal was celebrated in the video below:
However, as per Goal’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts, the Gunners could be in hot water with the FA yet again due to the nature of the moment.
With many of Arsenal’s substitutes and coaching staff encroaching on the playing area during their celebrations, match referee Chris Kavanagh included the incident in his match report.
The FA’s rules state that players and staff should always behave in a ‘responsible manner’ on the touchline and they should not be on the pitch without a valid reason. However, players receiving treatment from physios or other extraordinary circumstances are allowed.
Interestingly, the Gunners are yet to hear from the FA about a potential charge and have not yet been asked for a statement on the event.
Arsenal will face Sporting CP in the Europa League round of 16
With the playoffs coming to a stunning conclusion two weeks ago, the Gunners were drawn against an interesting opponent – Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP.
Mikel Arteta’s team topped their group ahead of PSV Eindhoven, winning 15 points from a possible 18 as they qualified directly for this round. Sporting, on the other hand, finished third in their Champions League group and dropped to the Europa League playoffs. They defeated FC Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate to progress.
The first leg of this exciting encounter will be played in Lisbon on Thursday, March 9 as the Gunners will look to pick up where they left off in the competition.
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