Arsenal facing injury crisis for FA Cup final as Arsene Wenger claims Laurent Koscielny red card was 'harsh'
Arsenal could be without Koscielny, Gabriel Paulista and Alexis Sanchez, while Kieran Gibbs, Shlkodran Mustafi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missed the 3-1 win over Everton
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Arsene Wenger believes Laurent Koscielny’s poor tackle on Enner Valencia that earned himself a straight red card early in Arsenal's 3-1 victory over Everton, ruling him out of the FA Cup final, was “harsh” after watching a replay of the early incident.
The Arsenal centre-back was sent-off by referee Michael Oliver without a moment’s hesitation after launching himself into the Everton striker, having been beaten for pace when he broke through the defensive line in the 14th minute. Koscielny’s leading foot made heavy contact on Valencia’s right ankle before the rest of the Frenchman’s body followed.
The resulting scissors motion clearly left Oliver with little option than to send Koscielny off, with the defender now facing an automatic three-match ban that will rule him out of next weekend’s FA Cup final as well as the first two games of the new season, but Wenger wasn’t convinced the tackle deserved a straight red card.
“It looked spectacular but when you watch it again it’s a bit harsh,” Wenger said afterwards. “But what could we do?”
The Arsenal manager may well ask himself the same question when he tries to select his team for the trip to Wembley, with Gabriel Paulista and Alexis Sanchez withdrawn from the game with injury. Gabriel was carried off the pitch on a stretcher after suffering what looked to be a serious knee injury in a collision with Valencia, while Sanchez suffered a hamstring issue late in the game when Everton were pushing for an equaliser before Aaron Ramsey’s delightful, curled effort decided the game.
“Gabriel overstretched his knee, he will have a scan tomorrow and we will see the damage. It honestly doesn’t look too good for next Saturday.”
With Koscielny banned and Gabriel almost certain to miss out, given the pain that the Brazil international was visibly in as he departed, Wenger will likely have to turn to club captain Per Mertesacker to plug the large gaps in his defence.
Both Shkodran Mustafi and Kieran Gibbs missed the encounter through illness and a thigh strain respectively, though Wenger is confident that they should be fit to face the Premier League champions. The likelihood is that Wenger will retain Rob Holding and bring Mustafi back in, with Nacho Monreal switching to centre-back and either Gibbs or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – himself rated as touch-and-go for the final – filling in at left wing-back.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments