“I told him that he did what he had to do at that moment,” said Diego Simeone after the game. And, as Allen raced towards the Arsenal goal in the 87th minute, Young chose to demonstrate his approach to the game. “Paul was put through, about 20 yards outside the box,” recalled Young in Jon Spurling’s fine book Rebels for the Cause. “As long as professional fouls pay off, they will be committed,” noted the Mail’s comment section. The change was obviously made to deter calculating defenders but, as Valverde showed, there is still room in the sport for pure cynicism.

Source: The Guardian January 14, 2020 17:15 UTC