'It was a clear dive!' - Thomas Frank furious at Kai Havertz's winner against Brentford
- Arsenal left it late to beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday evening
- Kai Havertz scored winner though could have been sent off for diving while on yellow card earlier in game
- Bees boss Thomas Frank was not happy with the decision to allow Havertz to continue
By Sean Walsh
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank claimed Kai Havertz should have been sent off prior to scoring late on in their 2-1 loss at Arsenal on Saturday.
The Gunners recorded their eighth-straight Premier League win to move to the top of the standings, sitting a point clear of Liverpool and two above Manchester City ahead of their meeting on Sunday.
Declan Rice put Arsenal ahead, but the hosts were pegged back when Yoane Wissa equalised following a horrendous error from Aaron Ramsdale. Havertz came up with the late winner to move his side into first place.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Frank revealed his pride at Brentford's performance, but ultimately they should not have lost in the manner they should have as Havertz appeared to have dived over a fair challenge from Nathan Collins when already on a booking.
"I'm so proud of the team and the players. We've come here to Arsenal who have scored 100 goals in I don't know how many games and we limited them. It was almost a defensive masterclass," Frank gushed.
"The performance was spot on. Even more impressive if you take into account Arsenal's form, our form, our injury situation. I actually don't think Havertz should be on the pitch when he scored. It was a clear dive. Maybe it is difficult for the ref but the linesman should have seen it.
"We are in that spell where we need to fight so hard for things. You need things to go your way, especially things you can't control like refereeing decisions.
"I'm a big believer that you should celebrate your wins and goals. They clearly respect us and they know we are very good and it meant a lot to them.
"The performance we take out of this is very good. We will take all of the positives and keep on fighting. I told them it was a great performance and that I'm so proud of them. If you get hit in the face then stand up and keep going."
When speaking to the written press soon after, Frank doubled down on his belief that Havertz should have seen red.
"Havertz is a clear, clear dive. That should of course been a second yellow and a red card and then he wouldn't have been able to score the winner," he added.
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