Crystal Palace 1 Arsenal 2: Gunners thought Francis Coquelin was off, insists Alan Pardew

Palace boss bemoans his lack of luck as Gunners escape with three points

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Alan Pardew, the Crystal Palace manager, said that the case for dismissing Francis Coquelin was so clear that even the Arsenal bench knew their midfielder should have received a second yellow card.

Coquelin was booked late in the first half and then fouled Wilfried Zaha and James McArthur but stayed on the pitch before being briskly withdrawn for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Arsène Wenger denied that he thought Coquelin was about to be sent off, but Pardew insisted it was a clear case for dismissal.

“He should have been sent off,” Pardew said. “Our bench thought he should have gone. Their bench did too, so taking him off was a natural reaction.”

Coquelin’s first foul after the booking – on Zaha – occurred just before the break and, as players, staff and officials were going into the tunnel, Pardew made clear to referee Lee Mason precisely what he thought.

“I had a chat with Lee in the tunnel and we agreed that he should not have been sent off, you do not want that,” Pardew recounted. “But I said that is his last chance, he cannot afford many other challenges, and he did. But Mason did not make the call.

“The foul just before half-time was debatable, a cynical challenge, but give people the benefit of the doubt. But you cannot make another one.”

Wenger, though, saw the situation slightly differently. “Every time Coquelin intervened, the crowd were behind it and putting pressure on the referee,” the Arsenal manager said. “I didn’t like to take him off after 60 minutes, but I didn’t have much room.”

Wenger was delighted with a win, which should start Arsenal’s season in earnest. “To get three points is already a little bit of a turning point in the Premier League for us,” he said.