Alexis Sanchez showed exactly why he never pursued an acting career at the Emirates Stadium last night.The Chilean went down theatrically after Leicester City’s Christian Fuchs threw the ball at him. Sanchez refused to back away and so the left-back deliberately threw the ball at the Arsenal star.This prompted a Rivaldo-eqsue reaction from Sanchez, who fell to the floor clutching his face.The 28-year-old showed off a fat lip on Twitter after Arsenal’s 1-0 win, although it is thought that came from a separate incident involving Robert Huth.
Sanchez was shown a yellow card for standing too close to Fuchs’ throw-in, but Arsene Wenger believes the Leicester defender was lucky to escape without a booking himself.
"Fuchs was lucky not to get a yellow card because he threw the ball at him on purpose," the Arsenal boss said, per BBC Sport.
Wenger added: “In the first two attempts when Fuchs tried to throw the ball in, Sanchez stood next to him and didn't know he had to be further away.
"Also the referee did not tell him to move further away and after that he got a yellow card because he didn't accept the rule. I accept that. He was not the required distance. The referee or the linesman should have told him."
Twitter has mocked Sanchez
Sanchez has been mocked on social media, with British boxer Carl Frampton tweeting: “Wind it in. You’re embarrassing yourself fella.”
Gary Lineker trolled Sanchez on Twitter
And Gary Lineker joined in the banter, too.
The Match of the Day host tweeted on Thursday afternoon: “Thoughts are with Alexis Sanchez. Wishing him a speedy recovery.”
Winterburn: The ref should have intervened
We could have all been spared the sight of Sanchez’s altercation with Fuchs if referee Mike Jones had intervened, according to former Gunners defender Nigel Winterburn.
"I said straight away when the incident happened that both of them will probably get booked,” Winterburn, who won three league titles with Arsenal, told Sky Sports.
"The whole thing is a mess. The referee and the assistant got it completely wrong because they could have diffused it first of all.
"Sanchez was shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'what am I doing wrong'?
“And the linesman or referee should have gone and told him to move away - because you've got to be two metres away.
"If he had done that, Fuchs would not have got irritable.”