Fulham manager Marco Silva believes the league’s clampdown on timewasting is protecting the ‘big clubs’ as he branded Calvin Bassey’s sending off a ‘joke’.

The Nigeria international received a yellow card by referee Paul Tierney after being adjudged for taking too long at a goal-kick. He was dismissed for a second caution, blocking Eddie Nketiah at a counter-attack. It follows a drive by the league to enforce new rules on time management this season.

Silva said: “The first yellow card for Calvin is a joke, and of course we understand the new circumstances (rules). They are taking all the emotion from the game because it is going to protect the big clubs because you have to see consistency in the decisions.

Read Also: Arteta Furious After Arsenal 2-2 Draw Against 10-Man Fulham

“For sure if you play for Fulham, or for other clubs and take 10-15 seconds to take a throw-in or in a goal kick it will be a yellow card, a player will always be under pressure because if you make a foul, it will be a second yellow card. For the other clubs, it is not the same. If you see one of the first throw-ins for (Thomas) Partey, he took much more time than Calvin at the goal-kick. It was not a yellow card. Why? Because they were losing the game? It is always going to be not the big clubs who suffer more.

Fulham ended up clawing the game back to 2-2 after Joao Palhinha’s 87th-minute strike, but Mikel Arteta claimed his Arsenal side played ’10 times better’ against the Cottagers than they did last season despite dropping two points. It was second-half goals from Bukayo Saka and substitute Eddie Nketiah within three minutes which put the Gunners ahead via Fabio Vieira, who came on after 56 minutes.