Should Harry Kane have been sent off against Arsenal? The independent sports team has its say

Arsenal and Bayern Munich played out a stormy and exciting first leg in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the eventual 2-2 result leaving things completely open for next week's return leg in Germany.

Bukayo Saka's early effort was quickly canceled out by Serge Gnabry's equalizer and Harry Kane's penalty, before a Leandro Trossard goal after the break leveled the game again – but the goals far from tell the whole story as both teams were upset that they didn't see any penalties gone.

After the game, however, the main topic of conversation was not even about a scoring opportunity, but about Bayern striker and England captain Harry Kane, who was shown a yellow card for elbowing Gabriel Magalhaes, which, according to Arsenal, should have been a red card.

That happened after Kane's goal, but of course a red would have ruled him out of the second leg – so should the former Tottenham man have been sent off?

The Independent'The club's sports editorial team comments on the incident – and who they think will advance after the second leg.

NO RED

Karl Matchett: No red for me, Clive. Yes, there is definitely elbow-to-head contact and yes, Kane definitely looks back, sees the man and throws the arm back in that direction. Textbook stuff. However, we want our game to be determined by the reality of football and physics and not by rules. And Kane doesn't know, does he [presumably] The aim is to catch the defender in the jaw, more likely in the upper chest area, like we see defenders and strikers fighting with each other throughout the game. Gabriel bends his knees slightly in anticipation of a tackle or header, causing his head to fall slightly lower, meaning Kane's elbow hits him higher than it would have. It's a foul and a sneaky, not nice foul from a player who has a long history of sneaky and not nice, but a yellow card is the correct result in this case because it's not a full, bent elbow. As far as the entire tie is concerned, I still have to say that this Arsenal team will produce the big mental performance in the moments of greatest pressure and that's why I'm still on the side of Bayern's progress.

Sonia Twigg: No red card, although undoubtedly a deliberate foul by Kane, he looks back before sticking his elbow up, a yellow card was the correct option. It's clever and evil from the front, but it's not a straight red card. The threshold for a red card should also not be lowered for these types of altercations, otherwise they would become too frequent and a possible collision between an attacker and a defender could put the referee in his pocket. With home advantage in the second leg, it is likely that Bayern can capitalize and end Arsenal's best run in the competition since 2010.

Alex Pattle: I agree that the yellow card was the right result. As Karl says, Kane doesn't appear to be aiming for Gabriel's jaw or face, although he definitely intends to generally make contact with the defender to help win the fight. If Kane went with his left arm after just looking over his shoulder, it might seem more malicious. If the movement is a little more powerful or the elbow lands a little higher, it's probably enough for a red. Ultimately, Kane was smart. And as Sonia said: I don't want the red card hurdle to be such a challenge. As for the tie itself, my tentative prediction is that Arsenal will come through. I understand the arguments about their underwhelming performances in high-pressure moments, but mentally they have been a more settled team this season and I wonder if the away game could be their next coming of age moment.

RED

Luke Baker: I have to contradict my esteemed colleagues here. Kane should have been given his marching orders, sent for an early bath and sent off the pitch – choose your favorite red card euphemism and paste it here. I'm all for physicality in football, but Kane looks around to see where Gabriel is, then sticks out an elbow and catches him in the neck. I'm sorry, but that's a red card all day. An outstretched arm to crowd around the ball and connect with Gabriel's chest, for example, is just good power, but as soon as you throw the arm and make contact with the throat, you should be gone. I have no idea whether the England captain did it maliciously or intentionally, but that's irrelevant – the previous look doesn't suggest the contact wasn't intentional, and if that's what happens when your elbow hits the throat, that's it Game over. As for the draw overall, I think both teams will be happy with a 2-2 given how the game went. The home advantage and the fact that Arsenal are unable to reach their best level yet in Europe means I expect Bayern to progress.

Miguel Delaney: Just looking at the footage, it seems pretty simple. Harry Kane should have left. There's the added context that he knows a little about the off-ball incidents that have caused controversy before, but there's no need to go into that. It's a red. Of course, Bayern Munich could have gotten their own penalty with this bizarre handball decision. My gut feeling is that Bayern had their chance, as absurd as that may sound after a 2-2 away draw. In a poor season, their biggest advantage over Arsenal was their experience, which Arsenal have now overcome.