Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber was “very, very lucky” not to be sent off in the first half of a feisty north London derby, according to Jamie Redknapp.

Timber flew into a tackle on Tottenham’s Pedro Porro with a boot raised, putting his foot on the ball as he tried to win it from the Spurs full-back.

Porro went down clutching his ankle as Tottenham players raged, calling on refree Jarred Gillett to show a red card. The Australian official showed yellow, one of seven yellows in a record for a Premier League first half, as the two sets of players engaged in a brawl of pushing and shoving.

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“It’s an unusual action because he definitely goes over the top of the ball, with his studs on it,” said former Spurs midfielder Redknapp on Sky Sports. “His foot then bounces on the ball.

“There was a tackle here last year with [Liverpool’s] Curtis Jones getting sent off for tackling Yves Bissouma. It’s very similar.

“Timber is very, very lucky. Has he gone in with excessive force to do him like in the olden day? No, But he’s given the referee a decision to make.

“Other referees would have sent him off. He doesn’t need to go in like that. It’s excessive force he has gone in with, it’s an unusual action. I think he’s lucky.”

The incident also brought into question whether Gillett had been too card happy in the first half, potentially giving himself some difficult decisions to make in the second over whether or not to hand out more yellows and send players off.

“In a game like this, you can’t go too early for a second yellow card,” said former Premier League referee Mike Dean. “The threshold for the second yellow has to be a lot higher.”