Watford captain Troy Deeney says he was lucky not to be seriously injured by a reckless challenge from Arsenal defender Gabriel in Arsenal’s 2-1 reverse to the Hornets on Sunday.
During the first half, Gabriel lunged into a 50-50 tackle with two feet, but the referee did not deem it to be a foul, as Gabriel played the ball.
Deeney, on the other end of the challenge, said that Gabriel apologised, but that he was lucky not to be seriously hurt, “I was unhappy with that – I could have gone through him as well and I tried my best to keep the studs down, and to the letter of the law.
“But he came over the top. I don’t think he was intentionally going to do me but fair play he came and apologised. I was just a bit frustrated at the initial moment because they are the ones that can break legs.
“Thankfully I am a big lad and I rode the tackle. We are men at the end of the day. We shake hands and carry on until the next game. Crack on.”
Hornets boss Quique Sanchez Flores played down the tackle, saying, “Was the tackle a red card? No, for me this is football,’ insisted the Spaniard. ‘This is England, this is the kind of contact we see every weekend – it’s nothing special. “
The F.A. have confirmed that no further action will be taken against Gabriel, as the referee saw the tackle and dealt with the incident at the time.
