Francis Coquelin’s first half performance in the North London derby was praised by Arsenal supporters up and down the land – even if he did appear to break a teammate’s nose as the half-time whistle approached.
The Frenchman had been dominant in midfield, refusing to let Tottenham’s more creative midfielders settle into any kind of rhythm.
Having watched Kevin Wimmer inadvertently head his side into a lead, Coquelin collided with Shkodran Mustafi after the German attempted to dispossess Son Heung-min. The former Valencia defender’s nose appeared to feel the full force of Coquelin’s shoulder, and the game had to be stopped as he received treatment.
With blood dripping from Mustafi’s nose, viewers soon expressed their concern on Twitter…
https://twitter.com/AneesYounis/status/795247169569693696
Footballing wise I think we have been off the pace. Better last 20. Not a fan of Coquelin trying to break Mustafi's face #AFCvTHFC
— Reece (@reeceh87) November 6, 2016
Wtf did Coquelin just take out Mustafi😂
— Aedam (@aedamnoor) November 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/joeyconnoisseur/status/795246989931900928
This didn’t make sense…
Some say Mustafi lost his virginity to Coquelin's shoulder
— . (@El_xM11) November 6, 2016
Some even pointed out that this was a deliberate action by Coquelin…
Coquelin biggest contribution so far was to clash into Mustafi's head, so that the ref had to break up Spurs' attack.
— GM (@GoonerMind) November 6, 2016
Others felt it was worthy of a red card…
Red card for Coquelin for the brutal foul on Mustafi IMO. #COYS
— Calin Mates ⚽️🏴 (@MrCalinMates) November 6, 2016
Thankfully, Mustafi and his nose were in a fit enough state to continue after the collision.
