Rodri will miss Manchester City’s early October Premier League visit to Arsenal after receiving a straight red card for violent conduct against Nottingham Forest.
The Spanish midfielder squared up to Morgan Gibbs-White after a coming-together shortly after half-time and appeared to wrap his hands around the Forest attacker’s throat after shoving him in the chest.
This left referee Anthony Taylor with little option but to award Rodri a straight red card, the first of his professional career, which was confirmed by VAR after a short delay.
Rodri, considered a crucial cog in Pep Guardiola’s side, will now miss the Carabao Cup visit to Newcastle next Wednesday, as well as league games against Wolves (30 Sep) and Arsenal (8 Oct).
City will be able to appeal the decision if they choose, although they are unlikely to have much success if they pursue that path.
The Arsenal clash will be a crucial early fixture in the title race after Mikel Arteta’s Gunners ran Guardiola’s side close last season.
Arsenal beat City to the Community Shield on penalties in the first competitive game of this season, as Cole Palmer’s goal was cancelled out by a late Leandro Trossard equaliser.
But City beat the Gunners on all three occasions they played last season, with Rodri playing every minute of those games.
City were 2-0 up before the red card after a first-half of utter domination, in which Rodri made 75 passes, recovered the ball five times and had a 96 per cent pass accuracy.
Phil Foden had scored the opener on seven minutes after an impressive 46-pass move, before Erling Haaland doubled the lead six minutes later with a bullet header.
Forest had rallied to limit any further goals throughout the first half, before being allowed back into the game by a rare moment of madness from a player who usually appears the epitome of calm.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/p5nEf7T
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