Brentford manager Thomas Frank has explained why Kai Havertz did not deserve to play 90 minutes in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory on Saturday.

The former Chelsea player scored the winner with four minutes to go as Arsenal beat Brentford 2-1 – but only after the forward avoided a second yellow card for simulation earlier in the half.

A Declan Rice header put the Gunners ahead on 19 minutes, before Yoane Wissa showed great work rate and endeavour to close down Aaron Ramsdale and deflect in the equaliser in first-half stoppage-time.

Havertz, having been booked for a foul in the opening 45 minutes, dived over Nathan Collins’ challenge in the second period, and the referee opted not to send him off. And then, on 86 minutes, the Arsenal forward headed home Ben White’s cross to win the game for his side and send the Gunners to the top of the Premier League.

“And, of course, it’s very clear that [Kai] Havertz should have a clear second yellow and then he would have a red card and not be able to score the winner. We’d then play 11 against 10, and that would have given us an even bigger chance to win the gamea,” said Frank after the game.

On the game itself, Frank was, again, “unbelievably proud” of his side’s performance, which saw them limit the Gunners – who had scored 31 goals in their last seven games – to minimal clear-cut efforts on goal.

“The mentality, the effort, the shift, the personality this team is showing, should make all the Brentford fans unbelievably proud,” Frank stated, adding: “How much they fought for the badge was incredible, against the in-form team in the Premier League. Everyone, rightly so, was praising Arsenal; they have scored however many goals in the last seven games and we kept them to a very, very, very minimum.

“You could argue that we had the bigger chance, with Nathan Collins at 1-1 in the second half.”