'Absolutely shocking challenge' - Arsenal fans left baffled after Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson escapes red card for horror tackle on Takehiro Tomiyasu

After Leandro Trossard gave the Gunners a fourth-minute lead, Chelsea may have been fortunate to not be a man down as Jackson caught Tomiyasu on his ankle. To the dismay of Arsenal fans, who took to social media to vent their frustration, the Blues striker escaped a booking, too. Mikel Arteta's men went onto win the match 5-0 in a chastening night for the visitors.

The Short Fuse tweeted: "That should be a red card for Nicolas Jackson. That's an awful challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu. What are we doing here?"

Another wrote: "How is this not a red card for Nicolas Jackson? Tomiyasu could have broken his ankle. These refs hate Arsenal."

Debaroop wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "How is Nicolas Jackson still on that pitch? Inexplicable," and posted a clown emoji.

And Layth added: "An absolutely shocking challenge by Nicolas Jackson on Takehiro Tomiyasu. How is that not a straight red card? The Arsenal defender could have had his leg broken. Disgusting."

Former Liverpool player Didi Hamann tweeted: "How does Jackson not get sent off here? Pathetic challenge," while BBC Sport journalist Charlotte Coates put on X: "No idea how Nicolas Jackson is still on the pitch. That is a terrible challenge."

Simon Collings, of the Evening Standard, posted: "Nicolas Jackson lucky to avoid any booking there, would have been his 10th of the season and a two-game ban."

While Ryan Taylor of the Mirror added: "More VAR incompetence. Nicolas Jackson should be off there. Awful challenge. Simon Hooper should be advised to check the monitor at the very least. Baffling."

Arsenal's thumping victory breathed fresh life into their Premier League title goals. After losing to Aston Villa and being knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich, the Gunners needed to bounce back to save their season. They now have a three-point lead at the top of the table, whereas Chelsea's chances of qualifying for Europe received a blow.

After this contest, Arsenal are away to north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, whereas Chelsea travel to Aston Villa the day before in a crucial weekend of Premier League fixtures.