Wilfred Ndidi obviously kicked the ball away during Saturday’s match against Leicester, but he managed to escape a second yellow card, which infuriated Arsenal supporters.

After Stephy Mavididi fouled Bukayo Saka, the incident happened in the 35th minute.

After fouling Riccardo Calafiori four minutes prior, Ndidi, who had been booked, went over to the ball and kicked it past Saka and off the pitch.

This incident bore similarities to the one that led to Leandro Trossard’s dismissal from Manchester City the previous weekend.

Declan Rice, a midfielder for the Gunners, has also been given two yellow cards this season for kicking the ball away and “delaying the restart,” two infractions that officials were told to strictly enforce over the summer.

I really need to understand this touch the ball after the referee whistle rule because why is it ok for Ndidi to kick the ball here pic.twitter.com/cWg8aiKfrt

— Dawa (@dawalolaa) September 28, 2024

Wilfred Ndidi was shown a yellow card at Arsenal but he was perhaps lucky not to be sent off

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Leandro Trossard got a second yellow card against Man City for a seemingly similar offence

For ‘delaying the restart’ this season, Declan Rice (right) has also been booked twice.

One could argue that Ndidi wasn’t holding up the restart this time because Arsenal wasn’t attempting to take advantage of a quick free kick.

However, a number of supporters swiftly accused Premier League officials of “hypocrisy” on social media.

Ndidi is kicking the ball away after fouling Saka, according to a tweet. You see how hypocritical they are, lol.

Another person commented, “I really need to understand why Ndidi is allowed to kick the ball here and touch the ball after the referee whistle rule.”

Ndidi’s fortunate escape occurred while Arsenal was ahead 1-0. After that, Mikel Arteta’s team won 4-2, with two goals from Trossard.