Despite Tony Pulis’s post-match comments on Monday, Ray Parlour insists that Alexis Sanchez isn’t a cheat.
Arsenal legend Parlour has responded to Pulis’s comments in which the West Brom boss branded Alexis a cheat after the Chilean went down earning a free-kick in the first half.
Parlour believes that what Alexis did was normal in the modern game and insisted that everybody does it.
“You talk about people going over very quickly, this is the normal game now,” Parlour said on talkSPORT.
“This is what everybody does.
“Any sort of touch on them they go down on the floor.
“It’s one of them situation where West Brom were always going to stay ‘well, get stuck in’.
“Tony Pulis would say to them ‘let’s try and rough them up a little bit as well’.
“I don’t think you can complain on that one, the free kicks.”
Pulis reckons that Alexis’ first free-kick of the game was a result of a dive and the 28-year-old should have been booked for the offence, telling Sky Sports afterwards: “In the game’s first free-kick Sanchez dives and should be booked. That’s cheating.”
The Welshman also commented that the Baggies should have been given a penalty when Shkodran Mustafi brought Jay Rodriguez down in the box. Although that much he’s right about. How they weren’t given that I don’t know.
Quite incredible how Madley didn't give a penalty for this pic.twitter.com/5RkXrFx4PG
— Terje (@ArsenalTerje) September 25, 2017
What Pulis failed to mention, however, was the penalty Arsenal should have been given when Alexis was pulled down by his shirt.
Overall, it was a terrible display from referee Bobby Madley.
‘Cheating’ aside, Alexis had a pretty average game against West Brom. He was dispossessed four times, more than any other player, and cockily decided to showboat when the Gunners were just 1-0 up and struggling to hang on.
His attitude has been poor this season since his move to Manchester City fell through so, to be honest, I couldn’t care less whether people reckons he’s a cheat or not.